Who Wants to Live Forever
by BoxerMan
Summary: [Chapter 8 up, new format] Remember those posters that said 'Today is the first day of the rest of your life' Well, that's true of every day but one, the day you die - Kurt, Logan, Rogue Centric. Highlander crossover
1. A Lesson in History

-'Who Wants to Live Forever'-  
  
Pairings: We'll see.  
  
A/N: An idea that I've been kicking around in my head for a while. I usually stick to Buffy Fanfic, but I decided to try my hand at other fan fiction universes. The first part is more background for the story and idea. And this is going to be a crossover. Fairly Kurt and Logan centric.  
  
A/N 2: Review me please. God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews.  
  
A/N 3: And in this part, I have to go back and edit a couple of things from canon. Kurt's not an Immortal yet. So just wait. Special thanks to Beyond Evolution for episode information.  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Marvel Comics, Highlander, or anything else for that matter.  
  
Timeframe: Post Impact, so Apocalypse is still around and kicking. Xmen and New Recruits are at Xaviers, Brotherhood and Acolytes are at the Brotherhood house.  
  
Dedicated to everyone that has ideas but doesn't think they're good enough  
  
//////////////////////////  
  
Germany, Early 1985  
  
Erik Lehnsherr sat in silence looking over his notes. The soft candlelight in the castle illuminated the room. The light danced against the walls, providing a deep contrast between the medical equipment and the tall centuries old tapestries hanging on the wall. He was so close to the answer. He could feel it. He had gone through a great deal of trouble to find the original copies. And they were nowhere in sight  
  
He growled in frustration and tossed the papers across the room.  
  
'All I need is an idea.'  
  
The metal equipment in the room shuddered as he became angry.  
  
'All I need is one subject to try it on.'  
  
The walls trembled as his temper grew.  
  
'All I need is just to figure out the complications it would take on a mutant. A young mutant, one to take baseline tests on. To fill in the gaps where Operation Rebirth left off.'  
  
It had taken years to find the original plans for Operation Rebirth. The idea was simple; make a human into a Superhuman. Why not go further than that? Make a mutant a Supermutant. But just like Steve Rogers case, the process actually caused a "cellular breakdown" that would break the recipient's body down to the simplest elements, even DNA. And the process would be even more of a failure on mutants. The specifications for Rebirth had been met specifically for humans, not mutants. Even if he could change them, mutant DNA was even more unstable to begin with. He just needed one mutant. One soul. One body. One living being. He let out a shout and several metal stacks of computer equipment fell off of their stands and clattered on the floor.  
  
'I could make him more powerful than he could possibly imagine.'  
  
He had heard rumors of mutants that could survive anything. Their healing factors were off the scale. Rumors. Gossip. But even then, they were told not with facts of science, but by notions of sorcery. He could feel the pull of each of the metal objects swirl around him as they flew around the room.  
  
'I could make him immortal.'  
  
If it was a success and he could do it on himself, he would have all of the time in the world. Nothing could stop him.  
  
'All I need is to use one of my own kind as a lab rat.'  
  
He closed his eyes in defeat. The metal objects in the room fell to the floor. A small bowl rolled around with a metallic swirl before falling on its side. He let out a loud sigh and began picking up some of the papers on the floor. Erik knew that he was getting older. He would not be strong enough in the coming years to help mutant kind survive the coming war, nor what would lie beyond it. Could he still do it without a test subject?  
  
'All I need is a few more years.'  
  
He raised an arm and the metal objects on the floor immediately went back to their original positions.  
  
'Besides, where could I find a newborn mutant with the amount of genetic abnormalities needed?'  
  
The next day Erik Lehnsherr looked out the door to see Mystique in her natural blue form holding a small bundle in her arms.  
  
As he held the small blue mutant for the first time his only thought was 'virtue is insufficient temptation.' [1]  
  
///////////////////////////////  
  
Xaviers Institute for Gifted Youngsters, Fall 2000  
  
Logan sat in the corner of the room, watching Xavier's recruits. He grinned to himself. Red and Cyclops were dancing around each other again. He snorted and propped his legs upon the table. He could hear them on the other side of the room talking about someone named Kurt. He shrugged his arms before going back to his newspaper. 'Chuck said he had another student coming. Hope I don't have to go and hunt down the little brat.' He chuckled and reached over for a cup of coffee on the stand next to him.  
  
A whisper of static tingled the back of his mind. Logan tensed and narrowed his eyes. It wasn't strong. It felt like a butterfly tickled the base of his skull with a light feather. The feeling would short out suddenly and then reappear. It slowly began to pull his attention towards the closet over on the other side of the room. He watched as the door slowly creaked open. Whoever was in there seemed to be watching the new recruits.  
  
Logan's face pulled away any emotion as he slowly stalked up to the door. His senses became overpowered by whoever was in the closet. His eyes refused to move from that one spot. His skin seemed to tingle and his nose was almost overrun by the stench of...brimstone?  
  
He tensed and unsheathed his claws. He ripped oven the door and growled, "Who the hell are..."  
  
A blue creature looked him in the face and responded with a high pitch scream. "EEEECCCKKK!"  
  
Before Logan could do anything else, the creature disappeared in a plume of smoke. He took a step back and tried to use his hands to clear the air.  
  
He sighed and went back over to his table. "Goddammit Chuck. You gotta warn me about these things."  
  
//////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Saint Paul of the Cross, Westchester NY, November 2003  
  
Kurt sat in the back of the church. Mass had ended for the evening and he just wanted to be alone and think in a place he was comfortable in. He noticed no one else was in the building and turned off his image inducer. Kurt mused to himself as he looked around the empty church. Something in their innate design made them very comfortable in the nighttime. The way the candles could illuminate the wooden walks and pews. The gentle sound of the wind running over the old roof just eased his tensions and relieved some of his stress. He sighed and stood up. He came there for a reason.  
  
He walked up to the steps before the altar and knelt down. He put his hands together and spoke aloud while doing the motions of the cross. "Im Namen des Vaters, des Sohns und des heiligen Geistes." [2]  
  
-In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost-  
  
He sighed before continuing. "Es ist acht Tage seit meinem letzten Beichtstuhl gewesen ."  
  
-It has been eight days since my last confessional-  
  
He sat there in silence staring up at the cross. In his ear he heard a ghost of a whisper. Magneto looked at him with accusing eyes. "By destroying those controls, you take away my only chance. Are you that much like your mother?"  
  
"Are you that much like your mother?"  
  
"Like your mother?"  
  
Kurt sighed and closed eyes in prayer. "Ich benötige Ihre Hilfe, ich benötige Ihre Stärke..."  
  
-I need your help; I need your strength...-  
  
In his mind he saw Rogue push their mother off the cliff.  
  
He shook his head, hoping to get rid of the image, and continued to pray. "Ich benötige Ihre Klugheit, ich benötige Ihre Anleitung."  
  
-I need your wisdom, I need your guidance.-  
  
Kurt continued to pray as the candles danced in the darkness. A soft vapor of wind blew across the room. "Weiß ich nicht, was Sie mich für vorbereiten, nur Geben ich die Stärke zum nicht auszufallen."  
  
- I do not know what you are preparing me for, only give me the strength not to fail.-  
  
Light danced upon the walls, illuminating a stained glass window depicting Moses holding the Ten Commandments. As the lights flickered, one line stood out.  
  
Thou shalt not kill.  
  
//////////////////////////////  
  
[1] Quote by George Bernard Shaw  
  
[2] Translations by Altavista.com 


	2. A Lesson in Fighting

-'Who Wants to Live Forever'-  
  
Pairings: We'll see.  
  
A/N: An idea that I've been kicking around in my head for a while. I decided to try my hand at other fan fiction universes. Fairly Kurt and Logan centric. This part starts off Kurt's training with Logan, and although he doesn't realize it, he is getting trained for the Game.  
  
A/N 2: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews. Now on to the story!  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Marvel Comics or Highlander.  
  
Timeframe: Post Impact, Magneto supposedly died fighting Apocalypse. Xmen and New Recruits are at Xaviers, Brotherhood and Acolytes are at the Brotherhood house. They all have no idea how to handle the situation and are more or less acting defensively.  
  
Dedicated to everyone that has ideas but doesn't think they're good enough  
  
////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Xaviers Institute for Gifted Youngsters, December 2003  
  
Kurt smiled as he heard the door open. He turned to see a grizzled Wolverine in a black shirt and jeans walk towards him. "So, Vhat do you think Herr Logan?"  
  
Logan steadied himself as he walked into the room. It seemed that whenever he came within twenty feet of the kid, all of his senses would automatically focus on him. It just felt so...normal, so natural. It was like he expected it, like...  
  
Kurt cocked his head to the side and looked at him quizzically. "Herr Logan, iz something ze matter?"  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow and began to circle the Blackhawk. Kurt crossed his fingers and took a step back. Logan remained silent until he returned to his original spot. "Not too bad Elf. You're getting faster at buffing the jet."  
  
Kurt grinned and started to run to the exit. "So I can leave?"  
  
Logan smirked and blocked the retreating mutant with his right arm. "How many coats did I tell you?"  
  
Kurt's shoulders slumped. "Come on! All zhe others don't ever have to wax zhe jet, Vhy do I have to?"  
  
Logan stood up strait and locked eyes with him. "You questioning me boy?"  
  
Kurt smiled sheepishly. "eep."  
  
*BAMF*  
  
Logan coughed as the smoke wafted away. "That's three more coats crawler, so don't use all the wax just yet."  
  
He looked back to the top of the jet to see Kurt, scrub brush in hand, cleaning the jet, muttering. "Yes mein fuehrer, I will clean zhe X-Jet. Vhenever you vant, just let me know. Dumkopf Canadian..."  
  
Logan growled. "I HEARD THAT!"  
  
Kurt, across the hanger, felt that he could safely mock the Wolverine. He put on his best innocent face, batted his eyes and said in his sweetest voice, "Little old me?"  
  
Logan shouted. "DO YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY? GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW OR YOU'LL BE WAXING THAT PLANE UNTILL YOU'RE THIRTY!!"  
  
Logan heard a distant *BAMF* and tapped his foot impatiently.  
  
*BAMF*  
  
Kurt appeared behind him and daintily tapped him on the shoulder. "Vas?"  
  
Logan felt the slight tingling at the base of skull do a summersault. Whatever it was, it really didn't like it when the elf 'ported. "Why do you think that I have you wax the jet?"  
  
Kurt cocked his head to the side. "Because ve dirty it up?"  
  
Logan held his head in his left hand. He felt one of those Kurt-related- migranes coming on. "No," he sighed, "Come on, we're going to the Danger Room."  
  
Kurt's shoulder slumped as he heard those two fateful words. "Awww, come on!"  
  
"NOW, ELF!"  
  
////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Kurt sat in the Danger room, waiting for Logan to appear. He changed into his uniform and his tail was twitching impatiently. "Vhere iz he?"  
  
Logan appeared behind him in his Wolverine uniform and walked infront of him. "Don't worry Elf. I just want to teach you a lesson."  
  
Kurt paled a little. "Herr Logan, pardon me, but usually vhen you vant to teach me a lesson, I end up in zhe infirmary for a day or two. And I haff school tomorrow."  
  
Logan grinned. "Not that kind of lesson. Now, come over here and assume a fighting stance."  
  
Kurt raised his eyebrows. "Doesn't sound zhat different."  
  
"ELF!"  
  
"Vas?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Ja, Herr Logan."  
  
Logan held up his fists in a traditional Karate fighting stance. "Now, I'm going to throw a punch, and you're going to block it."  
  
Kurt mirrored his stance, although he bent a little more due to the nature of his bones and joints.  
  
Logan launched his right arm into a punch aimed at Kurt's chest. Kurt jumped out of the way and landed several feet from him.  
  
"ELF!"  
  
"VAS?"  
  
"What the hell do you think you are doing?"  
  
Kurt gave him an incredulous look. "I'm jumping out of zhe way."  
  
Logan walked over to where Kurt stood. "You're not supposed to move, you're supposed to stay there."  
  
"But zhen you'll hit me!"  
  
Logan was becoming frustrated and growled, "Not if you _block_ it."  
  
Kurt shook his head. "But in all zhe simulations, I haff to dodge and weave away from zhe attacks."  
  
Logan nodded. "Yeah, but what happens when there's an attack you _can't_ dodge."  
  
Kurt puffed out his chest. "Ridiculous, I am zhe Incredible Nightcrawler. In zhe Munich circus..." [1]  
  
Logan grinned "Dodge this." [2]  
  
*SMACK*  
  
Logan landed his bare fist in Nightcrawler's chest, sending him sprawling.  
  
Kurt fell on the floor and rubbed his chest. "NO FAIR! VHAT VAS ZHAT FOR?"  
  
Logan sighed and extended his hand to help him up. "Sorry about that, but A: even 'zhe Incredible Nightcrawler' can't dodge everything and B: You used to say that all the time and it got on my damned nerves."  
  
Kurt took his hand and got up. "Don't try to do zhe accent. You don't haff a sexy enough voice."  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Fall back into your stance."  
  
Kurt rolled his eyes and went back into the Karate stance. Logan continued speaking. "I know that we've been working on your reflexes and dodging, but without powers or dodging, how well do you think you could fight?"  
  
Kurt shrugged his shoulders, not exactly sure what to say. Logan nodded. "With the amount of energy it takes for you to port around, you'd get awful tired real quick. I know that youre good on holds and throws. I've seen you fight, but you still rely too much on your speed and agility. So..."  
  
Logan grinned and went into an opposite stance. "...you and I are going to work on that."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Wax on." [3]  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Logan sighed and grabbed Kurt's right hand. "When you see me throw a punch towards your right side, you block it like your rubbing the wax on the jet."  
  
He let go and grabbed his left hand. "When you see me throw a punch towards your left side, you block it like your rubbing the wax off of the jet."  
  
Kurt was silent for several seconds before saying, "Do you need Herr McCoy to take a look at you?"  
  
Logan glared at the young German. "Listen Elf, you can either take this seriously and learn something, and live a lot longer with all of your limbs, or we can walk out that door and you don't ever have to worry about me caring about your well being ever again."  
  
Kurt looked at his feet guiltily. It did sound silly, but if Herr Logan really meant it...  
  
He smiled and went back into his fighting stance. "Bring it on baby, you saw zhe movie." [4]  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow. "What movie?"  
  
Kurt relaxed his stance. "Bring it on."  
  
Logan smirked and threw the first punch. "Gladly."  
  
///////////////////////////  
  
One Hour Later...  
  
Kurt slumped to the floor totally exhausted. His forearms and legs were killing him. Logan had decided to throw in all of the basic arm and leg blocks in the first day of training. Logan smirked and walked over to where the foreign student lay. "So Elf, what do you think?"  
  
Kurt muttered something about Canadians and bloodlust.  
  
Logan grinned. "Welcome back to the living Elf."  
  
Kurt raised his head up. "How can you tell?"  
  
Logan grinned and bent down to face him. "How long do you think you would've lasted if I let you jump around like a four year old on pixie dust? Or if you 'ported."  
  
Kurt groaned. "If I could port, I could've gotten away."  
  
Logan looked at him seriously. "You can't run away from every fight. You can't just jump around and hope they give up. Some opponents never give up. They will find you and fight you until the death with no remorse and no breaks."  
  
Kurt nodded and let his head drop back to the floor.  
  
Logan smiled, "Tell ya what Elf, You make it through four weeks of this and I might start weapons training. That's when the _real_ fun begins."  
  
Kurt put a finger in the air and made a circular motion. "Vhoop-de-do."  
  
Logan grinned evilly. "Tell me, have you had any experience with swords?"  
  
///////////////////////////  
  
Kurt limped himself to the infirmary very slowly. He wasn't in terrible pain. 'Herr Logan hadn't managed to kill me...yet.' The new and revised training had done wonders for his humility and all Kurt wanted to do was take some aspirin and crawl into bed. He sighed and muttered to himself. "Never believe Herr Logan when he says it's 'not that kind of lesson.'"  
  
The training had lasted for about an hour. And by training he meant Logan running around after his trying to hit him. If he could have jumped out of the way, then Kurt reasoned that he probably would have been fine. 'Maybe Herr Logan was onto something. At least when we start with swords, I might be able to beat _him_ around for once.'  
  
He smiled sheepishly and waved to Dr. McCoy. McCoy merely raised an eyebrow and went into the back for the painkillers. He could always tell when one of the students came out of a danger room session with Logan.  
  
/////////////////////////  
  
[1] from 'X2-Xmen United'  
  
[2] From 'the Matrix'  
  
[3] From 'Karate Kid'  
  
[4] the movie 'Bring it on' I can't believe they made a sequel to that. Good lord 


	3. American Beauty

-'Who Wants to Live Forever'-  
  
Pairings: Scott/Jean. Kurt/Amanda right here, but well, you'll see  
  
A/N: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews. Speaking of reviews,  
  
hallegurl: sorry, like I said, its gonna be a highlander crossover, which includes quickenings, but I promise that I'll try to distract you with my razor sharp wit.  
  
Scrawler: Scrawler, as in THE Scrawler, and I am just assuming that is you and you just didn't want to log in. I bow in my mortal humility. Glad you like it.  
  
taekwondodo: Hey, my old grandmaster (Han-mu-do) said he didn't really care for the Karate Kid either. I just put the little tidbit in for laughs and to start off a Logan training Kurt thread. And as for the little errors, I used to send all my stuff off to an editor to proofread, but the guy is so swamped with work that I didn't want to do it to him. I would've waited longer, but the plot bunny was killing me. But, I'm very glad you like it. PWF is one of the best Kurttys out there  
  
Anee: Thanks for the compliment.  
  
A/N 2: And I've got a lot going on this week, so probably no more until the weekend. Sorry. Now on to the story!  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Marvel Comics or Highlander.  
  
Timeframe: Post Impact, Magneto supposedly died fighting Apocalypse. Xmen and New Recruits are at Xaviers, Brotherhood and Acolytes are at the Brotherhood house. They all have no idea how to handle the situation and are more or less acting defensively.  
  
Dedicated to everyone that has ideas but doesn't think they're good enough  
  
////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Xaviers Institute for Gifted Youngsters, Late December 2003  
  
Kurt groaned as he fell into the back of Scott's car. The elder mutant looked back at his friend. "You okay there Kurt?"  
  
Kurt moved around and sat up strait. "Nein, Herr Logan ran me though training again last night but I couldn't go to sleep afterwards."  
  
Scott looked shocked. "I thought that a training session with Wolverine would make anyone exhausted."  
  
Kurt grinned and leaned back in his seat. "Vell, zhere vas a Freddy Krueger marathon last night. I couldn't help but vatch."  
  
Scott raised an eyebrow. "I think we've found a little morbid streak there Kurt."  
  
Kurt held out his pterodactyl hand Freddy Krueger-style and waved his fingers. "I vill eat your SOUL."  
  
Scott shook his head. "That's the deadites from Evil Dead. Freddy doesn't eat peoples souls."  
  
Kurt gave him a confused look. "Vhy can't Freddy eat people's souls?"  
  
Scott sighed. "Its not that he cant, its just that he doesn't."  
  
"Vhy?"  
  
Scott gave him an annoyed look before changing the subject. "Hey, why don't we take the girls out to see Freddy vs. Jason out after school. I think there's a 5 or 6 screening. You can bring Amanda, and I'll con Jean into coming."  
  
Kurt smirked and put his hand behind his head. "You don't haff to be a mind reader to know vhy you vant to bring Jean to a scary movie."  
  
Scott stuck out his tongue at Kurt, who immediately grabbed his chest and faked a heart attack. Scott smiled and looked at the front door of the mansion. "Where are the girls anyway? I was sure someone would want a ride today."  
  
Kurt grinned. "Don't vorry, Keety told me zhat Jean promised her she could drive zhe SUV to school on zhe last day before vinter break."  
  
Scott smiled evilly and started up the car. "Why don't we go ahead and get to school a little early, I bet the others won't mind."  
  
Kurt smirked and turned around to see Jean, Amara, and Rogue start running towards the car. He turned back and patted Scott on the arm. "Faster driver, Schnell! Schnell! Schnell!"  
  
The car peeled out of the driveway, leaving the other students running after them.  
  
Kitty walked out of the institute twirling Jean's car keys around her index finger. "Like, what are we all waiting for? Lets go!"  
  
///////////////////////////////////  
  
Kurt watched the other students hang their heads in defeat and walk to the SUV. He grinned and turned back around to face Scott. "And I'm zhe one vith zhe morbid streak."  
  
Scott grinned and continued driving. "That wasn't morbid Kurt, that was just evil."  
  
Kurt laughed. "Ja, but now how are you going to get Jean to come to zhe movies?"  
  
Scott's face fell. "Aww crap."  
  
Kurt ginned before opening his backpack and taking out a Butterfingers. Scott turned and saw him take a bite. "Hey, do not eat that in the car. You always put the wrapper lying under the seat when I'm not looking."  
  
Kurt smiled innocently and took another bite. "Never vould I do such a horrible zhing."  
  
Scott groaned and shifted the car into the next drive. "Yeah, then I guess it was the Mars Bars elves and the Baby Ruth fairies who littered the back seat last time."  
  
Kurt's face blanched and he rummaged around in his backpack. "Oh, I almost forgot..." He took out a Snickers Cruncher bar and petted it. "...my precious."  
  
Several seconds of uncomfortable silence ensued before Scott turned to Kurt. "You got another Butterfingers?"  
  
/////////////////////////////////////////  
  
The duo arrived at Bayville high with plenty of time to spare. Kurt opened his backpack and started nibbling on a Milky Way while Scott just sat on the hood looking moderately pleased with himself.  
  
The school had been redone with a winter theme. Blue and white streamers littered the roof while posters proclaiming "Happy Holidays" adorned the walls. Kurt smiled to himself. He had always liked Christmas time. People were open and kind to one another. There had actually been a decrease in anti-mutant hate crimes over the past two weeks. And Magneto hadn't been very active either. It seemed that there could be a slight reprieve on both sides. A Christmas truce.  
  
Scott grinned and pulled Kurt out of his thoughts. "Here they come."  
  
Kurt shifted up in his seat so he could get a better view and took another bite of his Milky Way.  
  
The gray SUV pulled into the space next to Scott's car and Kurt could have sworn that he saw a mailbox hanging out the back window. The transmission groaned as the driver forced it to downshift. Finally the car was turned off. Several seconds of silence ensued. Kurt and Scott looked at each other in confusion.  
  
Finally the driver's side door creaked open and a distempered Jean Grey exited the vehicle. Her red hair stood strait on end and there were several leaves in her hair. Rogue, Amara and several other passengers exited the car looking equally disturbed. Jean stared and the boys and muttered three words. "Tell no one."  
  
They nodded.  
  
Kitty got out of the car and sheepishly walked up to Jean. "Um... Jean, I'm sorry about..."  
  
Jean cut her off, Kurt assumed, by giving her a mental image of what her death would be like. Kitty turned a shallow pale and proceeded to back away slowly.  
  
As everyone straitened themselves out and got prepared for school, Scott stopped in his steps and turned back towards his car. "Crap, I forgot my backpack in the backseat."  
  
He ran to the car door and opened it. Students within twenty feet of the car could hear the sound of hundreds of candy bar wrappers falling onto the pavement.  
  
As Kurt walked into school for the last day of the semester, he heard Scott scream.  
  
//////////////////////////////////////  
  
"WHOOOO CHRISTMAS BREAK!!"  
  
Kitty sighed. "Its not just Christmas Ray, there's like _other_ holidays too there."  
  
Bobby elbowed Ray in the ribs. "Yeah, there's Kwanzaa too."  
  
Kitty frowned. "You guys suck."  
  
Scott frowned and took his sandwich out of a brown paper bag. "Cut it out guys."  
  
Kurt walked over to the X-men's table with Amanda in tow. "So, I vas vondering if you vanted to go to zhe movies tonight? Jean and Scott could make it a double date. Or, or ve could go alone, ve don't need zhem..."  
  
Jean and Scott gave him a somewhat dirty look from the table. Amanda cut him off before he could do any more damage. "Its okay Fuzzy, I just like seeing you squirm."  
  
Amanda smiled and ran a fingertip along his jawline. "Meet ya there."  
  
She kissed him chastely on the lips and turned around and left, putting a little extra swing into her hips. Kurt just stood there for several seconds with a grin on his face.  
  
Scott coughed. "Ahem, Kurt..."  
  
"Ja, meet you zhere!"  
  
"KURT!"  
  
The German mutant spun around. "Vas?"  
  
Kitty smiled and sat him down between her and Scott at the table. "Sit down Kurt, she's already gone."  
  
Kurt's face fell. "Nein, I like to vatch her retreat."  
  
Bobby's face dropped in confusion. "Why would you want to see that?"  
  
The other mutants at the table coughed nervously and ate more of their lunch.  
  
Across the cafeteria, a student watched the events with an eerie calmness. He turned to the rest of the table. "It just aint right."  
  
One of his friends smiled. "What aint right Roger?"  
  
Roger frowned and turned back to the retreating Amanda. "That girl betrayin her kind, goin out with that mutie freak."  
  
His friend grinned and slapped his back. "Don't worry Jim, the freaks and mutie-lovers are gonna get whats comin to em, just wait."  
  
//////////////////////////////////////  
  
Kurt grinned and did a wolf whistle as he saw Amanda walking towards him at the movie theater. Amanda smiled sheepishly and twirled around for him to see. She wore a light blue blouse and light black jeans that complimented her figure well. Kurt checked himself and made sure that his image inducer looked okay. Yep. Crisp Black pants, nice white dress shirt. Amanda looked him up and down and grinned seductively. "Mmmm, my fuzzy cleans up nice."  
  
Kurt grinned and held his arm out. "Did you haff any doubt?"  
  
Amanda took his arm and grinned. "Nein! Zhere vas never any doubt."  
  
Kurt faked hurt. "Vhy does everyone zhink zhey can do zhe accent?"  
  
Scott and Jean walked up to the pair. "Becauzze eet eeez soo eeezee."  
  
Jean sighed. Kurt raised an eyebrow at Scott. "Every now and zhen, I may mispronounce zhe English language, but I do not beat it senseless."  
  
The girls grinned and they walked their men into the theater. "Come on boys, lets go see some mindless gore."  
  
Jean paled as she saw what movie they were going into and slapped Scott on the arm. "Dammit Scott, you didn't tell me it was Jason Vs. Freddy."  
  
Across the street, a group of men watched impatiently and nodded to each other.  
  
///////////////////////////////////  
  
Back at the mansion Logan worked in the Danger room, adding some modifications to his newest training simulation for the Elf. He wasn't sure why he was putting so much thought and hard work into Kurt's training, but he was sure the Elf would need it. The 'crawler had come a long way. He already had the gut instincts, the agility, the reaction times, it was just a matter of fine-tuning them.  
  
Logan programmed another series of attacks and frowned. He was missing something. He knew it.  
  
////////////////////////////  
  
"I vill eat your SOUL!!"  
  
Scott sighed as they walked out of the movie theater. "Kurt, for the last time, Freddy didn't say that."  
  
Amanda smiled, watching the playful banter between the two friends. Clouds started to gather and they could hear lightning in the distance. Scott looked up into the sky. "Looks like rain, I guess its time to go."  
  
Amanda smiled and put her arms around Kurt. "Fuzzy here can walk me home, it's only a little bit up the street."  
  
Kurt raised an eyebrow. Amanda winked at him. He turned back to face his friends. "Ja, its only a hop, skip, and a port away from zhe institute, I'll be fine."  
  
Jean and Scott smiled at each other. "Well if you're sure."  
  
Jean grabbed hold of Scott's wrist and ran to his car. Scot called out over his shoulder "See you tomorrow Kurt!"  
  
Kurt smiled and turned back to Amanda.  
  
As they walked by an alley, an arm shot out of the darkness and roughly grabbed her by the elbow. "Nice night out, aint it?"  
  
She tugged her arm out of his grip and took a step away from her assailant. "It _was_ a nice night out."  
  
Kurt walked text to her and took her hand. He gave the man a glare as he talked to Amanda. "Is zhere somezhing wrong liebe?"  
  
The man grinned as three of his friends walked out of the darkness and stood beside him. "You mean besides the fact that you're a mutie freak?"  
  
Kurt bared his teeth. He could feel his muscles tense in anticipation. Amanda looked over at her date. "Kurt?"  
  
Kurt shook his head and started to walk away holding onto Amanda. "Ja liebe, ve're just leaving."  
  
//////////////////////////////  
  
Logan looked over the schematics for the sim. The door swished open as the professor wheel into the control room. "Something wrong Chuck?"  
  
Professor Xavier smiled and rode up next to him. "No Logan, I was just wondering who was up so late in the Danger room."  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Just working on a new sim."  
  
Xavier grinned and took a look at the simulation he was creating. "Well, this looks like more of a work out than some of the students will be looking forward to."  
  
Logan's face held a whisper of a smile as he leaned against the wall. "No, that's one I'm working on for the Elf and me."  
  
Xavier raised his eyebrows and turned his chair around to look at Logan. "Oh."  
  
Logan smirked. "And I bet that's the reason for tonight's little get together."  
  
Xavier grinned. "And I'm the mind-reader."  
  
"So get it off your chest Chuck, what do you want to know?"  
  
Charles Xavier hunched over in his seat and tapped his fingertips together. "What's the real reason you've decided to give Mister Wagner additional training?"  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Well, the Elf shows promise. He's more physically in shape than the rest of the students."  
  
It was Xavier's turn to smirk. "And what was with all of the projecting earlier?"  
  
Logan opened his mouth to speak, but the professor cut him off. "I know that you still sense something...odd coming off of him, but Doctor McCoy and I have done every test conceivable and it seems that our Mister Wagner is just a normal healthy young mutant."  
  
Logan smirked. "Nothing about the Elf is normal."  
  
Xavier smiled. "Well, perhaps that may be, but..."  
  
Xavier suddenly closed his eyes in intense concentration.  
  
Logan cocked his head to the left; a small frown was evident on his face. "Something the matter Chuck?"  
  
The professor's eyes flew open. "Get the van. Kurt's been shot."  
  
/////////////////////////////  
  
Kurt growled as he slammed his fist into one of his assailant's chest. One of the others grabbed his arms and the ringleader smiled and kicked him in the ribs. The other attacker was to the side, holding back Amanda, although she was putting up a fight.  
  
The man holding Amanda twisted her arm around her back and laughed at her. "Come on you mutie lover, let's see what your boyfriend does."  
  
The other three men grinned as they circled Kurt. The light drizzle started to pour down, shorting out his image inducer. The group of men stared in horror at the blue creature before them. One of them did the sign of the cross. Kurt stared at him. "Do you actually know what zhat means?"  
  
The man holding Amanda yelled at his accomplices. "Get the damned mutie."  
  
Kurt bared his teeth.  
  
*BAMF*  
  
The attackers looked in shock as their victim turned into thin air.  
  
*BAMF*  
  
He reappeared directly infront of one of the men and punched him in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. One of the other attackers came to his senses. "Kill it! Kill it!"  
  
*BAMF*  
  
The other two men looked around trying to find their target. "I can't see it."  
  
*BAMF*  
  
"Its over there."  
  
*BAMF*  
  
"There."  
  
*BAMF*  
  
Kurt reappeared and grabbed one of the men and teleported with him. *BAMF*  
  
The other attacker screamed and ran away. "It took Jimmy!"  
  
Roger looked on in horror as his friends fell one by one. He grabbed the girl and ran for it.  
  
*BAMF*  
  
Kurt reappeared and dropped the now-unconscious Jimmy to the floor. Kurt looked up from the melee to see one of the men run off with Amanda. He screamed through his teeth. "NEIN!"  
  
*BAMF*  
  
//////////////////  
  
Amanda kicked and punched against her attacker as he pulled her along the deserted street. "LET ME GO!"  
  
*BAMF*  
  
Kurt reappeared infront of them. His frame was hunched over. His tail flicked left and right agitatedly. His breath was short after so many teleports. His entire body ached. He forced his muscles to comply as he took a step towards them.  
  
Roger pulled out a gun and shoved it against Amanda's back. He shouted at the blue monster. "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER."  
  
Kurt stopped in his place. Amanda looked at him pleadingly. He spoke calmly, "Just let her go, no one has to get hurt."  
  
Roger 's hand started to shake. He mentally focused himself and took control again. "I MEAN IT!"  
  
Kurt watched as a single tear fell from Amanda's eye. She silently mouthed two words. 'Please Kurt.'  
  
"Just give her to me!"  
  
Roger shook his head. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!"  
  
"JUST GIVE HER TO ME!"  
  
Roger's finger tensed on the trigger. Kurt took an apprehensive step closer. "Ve can all just calm down, put down zhe gun and you can just valk..."  
  
"GET THE FUCKING HELL BACK!" Roger pushed Amanda away from him and took aim at the creature.  
  
*BAMF*  
  
Kurt reappeared behind him and began to fight for the gun. Roger kicked the creature in the side. Kurt punched his attacker in the face. Kurt felt his finger slide towards the trigger. Suddenly the gun went off. Kurt grabbed the man's shoulder and threw him and the gun into a nearby wall. He turned around to see Amanda lying in the street clutching her chest. "AMANDA!"  
  
Kurt ran over and kneeled next to Amanda. He applied pressure to her chest while the blood slowly trickled out from between his fingers. He tensed and watched as her eyes began to glaze over. "Nein Amanda, meine liebe. Don't stop." She gasped for air and grasped her hands on Kurt's chest. He felt her strength fail her as her arms fell limply by her side.  
  
He heard another gun shot and fell to his side, as a terrible wave of pain erupted from between his shoulder blades. He fell onto his back with a scream of pain.  
  
Roger stood several feet away, arm outstretched, holding the gun. He looked at the weapon in his hands before dropping it and running off into the night.  
  
Kurt felt his strength fading away as her painfully turned his head back to Amanda. Her frame had fallen on her back, neck turned towards him. A small strand of her hair had fallen across her face. Kurt strained in agony as he reached out with one hand and tucked it back behind her ear.  
  
He could hear a voice in his head. It sounded a little like Jean. She said they they were coming, not to worry. He watched as the streetlights along the sidewalk began to fade out. The colors appeared to run together all around him as they darkened and grayed.  
  
He coughed up something warm and coppery. He rested his gaze back on Amanda. The blood smeared his teeth as he smiled at her prone form. Her long dark hair tucked behind her ear, her soft features were relaxed and almost peaceful. He could hear the professor in his head, or was that jean? He couldn't really tell the difference now.  
  
The image of Amanda lying there next to him began to fade away as well.  
  
He couldn't hear the rain pounding on the street either.  
  
He couldn't even feel the blood trickle out of his mouth as he stopped breathing. 


	4. Resurrection

-'Who Wants to Live Forever'-  
  
Pairings: Scott/Jean. mentions of Kurt/Amanda, but well, you'll see  
  
A/N: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews. I'll probably have the next part up next weekend, but only if you review. Speaking of reviews,  
  
ananova: Glad you like it.  
  
Scrawler: Hope this is soon enough.  
  
taekwondodo: Yeah, she's a little backed up with her Animation project. And Evil people make the world go round. Yay Evil! Anyway, hope that there's enough angst for ya.  
  
A/N 2: Three things. I accidentally sliced open my right hand at work so, it's a little hard to type, so this parts been a little delayed, but its here now. Also, I'm not really sure how long Kurt's first death should take, its his first death, so it's a little longer than usual immortal deaths, but its several gunshot wounds to his heart and lungs, so I'll just say about half an hour. And Logan is going to have a little tirade and he's going to subconsciously think about the Game incase anyone misses out on the whole immortal thing. Now on to the story!  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Marvel Comics or Highlander.  
  
Dedicated to everyone that has ideas but doesn't think they're good enough  
  
////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Logan sat in the X-van. They were too late. He sighed and kept his eyes on the road back to the institute. 'Always too damn late.' There was nothing they could have done for the Elf. From what he got out of the professor, the kid had been trying to protect his girl. A group of bigots attacked them and shot the girl then the elf. He sighed. 'The elf shoulda just ported outta there.' Logan grimaced and held the wheel tighter. Is that what he would've done? Was that what he had been teaching the Elf?  
  
No. He taught the Elf to stand up for himself. He taught the Elf to never back down, to take his blows and give some.  
  
He taught the Elf to die.  
  
He never even considered it. Somewhere in the back of his head, he just never put the two thoughts together. The Elf would always be there. Kurt...Kurt would always be there. Irritating as hell and just as tenacious, Kurt had always been there.  
  
_Had_ been there.  
  
Logan quietly cursed himself and looked in the rear view mirror. Scott and Jean were the first to reach Kurt and his girlfriend. Scott held Jean in his arms as she cried. Their clothes were caked with dirt and soaked with water and some blood. Jean had her head buried deep in the team leaders chest. Her tears had become silent now, her sobbing only breaking through intermittently. Scott for his part could only look at one of the two black bags in the center of the van.  
  
Logan knew that the kid looked up to Shades like a brother. For the first couple of months you couldn't break them apart with a crowbar. Scott had reveled in his new title as 'big brother.' And Kurt found someone to look up to. When the elder mutant found Alex, the two began to drift apart, if only by a little, but they were still close. Scott was the one Kurt went to for answers about girls, about school, about...everything. And Scot would smile and be a big brother again. As Logan silently watched, he didn't see the young mutant shed a tear. Logan began to wonder if Scott could cry. Maybe his mutation caused his tears to be dried up before they could even touch his skin. "Red okay back there Shades?"  
  
Scott turned a little. The refraction of light off the windows illuminated two streams of water slowly running down the X-man's cheeks. He simply nodded and kissed the top of Jean's head. The redhead continued to silently cry into his clothes.  
  
Logan moved his attention to the other occupant in the rear of the van. McCoy sat opposite the two grieving X-Men. He had been working on some of his research into genetics and mutations when he got the call from Xavier. He stood there simply staring at his bloodied hands. The medical bag he brought with them lay forgotten at his feet. There was in reality nothing he could have done for the poor child. But that didn't mean he didn't try. He had sat there for three minutes beating on Kurt's chest, yelling in his blue pointed ears, checking his pulse, taking his temperature, trying to get any sort of reaction, any sort of sign. Pupils were dilated and for some reason barely visible. Subject showed no response to stimuli. No breath, no movement, no responses. Nothing. There was nothing he could do or could have done. He let his thumb run across the matted and wet palm of his hand. Maybe if he tried to save the girl, at least one of them would be okay. But he ran forward to the smaller blue furred mutant and tried to bring him back to life. There was nothing he could do. He failed. He wasn't even a quack or a liar. He was just useless. He looked up towards the front of the van and saw Logan's gaze at him. McCoy let out a sad sigh and nodded before looking back at his large blue bloody hands.  
  
Logan nodded back at the furry mutant before turning his gaze back towards the street. He wondered if this was how the Elf felt when he missed catching Mystique. The kid never talked about it, not really. A look here, a mumbled prayer there, it had been hard on him. Him and Rogue. They had hardly spoken to each other in days. He knew that they both wanted to forgive the other. They both wanted to...Logan shook his head. Rogue had killed their mother and now she lost her brother. The half-pint and him were close too. The Elf had more or less been close to everyone at the mansion. The kid had even gotten under _his_ thick skin.  
  
He briefly wondered if the Elf would see his mother. Nah, there was no way that Mystique was even in the same zip code that the Elf was in now. He deserved far better. Better than he got and better than anyone gave him.  
  
Logan sighed and looked the only other passenger in the van.  
  
/////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Charles Xavier sat quietly in the passenger seat. The old man started to truly show his old age. Creases and wrinkles in his skin became apparent. The color in his skin had drained, leaving an old bald pale shell of a man. Kurt had been the third recruit at the institute. One of the first classmen ever. Even as the ranks began to swell, Kurt seemed at the forefront of the group. He jovial nature and warmhearted nature was well needed among the X- men.  
  
It is a terrible thing when the young die and the old are left to resume their wars and treachery. In the back of his mind, Xavier knew that eventually, someone would die. His vision for a world where mutants and humans could co-exist would not be easily won. He never really acknowledged it or said it. Everyone knew, didn't they?  
  
Didn't his students, his children, understand what they were getting into when that came to him?  
  
Did they understand what he asked of them?  
  
Did HE understand what he asked of them?  
  
Xavier's only answers were the cold hum of the motor and the sound of the rain hitting the roof as they approached the institute gates.  
  
//////////////////////////////  
  
Slowly the van crept up to a halt inside the garage. Logan put the van in park and quietly turned off the engine. Beast and the elder recruits hurried out of the vehicle, leaving only the two mutants on the front. They both sat in silence for several seconds before Logan turned to Xavier. "Chuck, uh...do you want me to..."  
  
Xavier snapped out of his self-imposed reverie. He turned to face Logan and solemnly shook his head. "No Logan, I think it's best if I should break the news."  
  
Logan nodded and opened his door. He walked around to the passenger side and helped the professor out of the van. Xavier looked at Logan. "Should we..."  
  
Logan pursed his lips together and started wheeling the professor to the door to the mansion. "Lets leave the Elf and his girlfriend by themselves for a second. We can... move them after we told everyone."  
  
Xavier nodded as the door opened. "Yes. I suppose you're right."  
  
Xavier and Logan continued without speaking until they reached the door to the common room. Logan sighed and squeezed Xavier's shoulder as they opened the door. Inside the new recruits were sitting over on the couch near the TV. Amara, Ray, and Bobby were currently fighting over the remote. Ororo and Rogue stood at opposite corners of the room leaning against the wall. Everyone else just seemed to be sitting quietly and thinking to themselves.  
  
Xavier sighed as he could hear Jean projecting in her room with Scott. He could hear their anguished cries as they comforted each other. He could hear McCoy's thoughts as he sat in the infirmary putting his supplies back on the shelf with heavy hands. Xavier felt all of the eyes in the room staring at him. His mind was assaulted by the thoughts and concerns of his students. He sighed and began speaking.  
  
"When I started this school. I knew that the good things would not always out way the bad."  
  
Confusion.  
  
"In striving for a society where mutants and humans can peacefully coexist,"  
  
Concern.  
  
"We are still living in a world where the prejudices of some..."  
  
Fear.  
  
"Tread upon the lives of those who only wish to belong."  
  
Anger. Worry.  
  
Xavier sighed and held back his own emotions from adding to the maelstrom that was invading his very soul. "Tonight we have lost one of our own."  
  
//////////////////////////////////  
  
Rogue sat alone in the common room. Everyone else had run off to mourn or weep, or do whatever the hell it is to make 'em all feel better. Kitty's was to scream at the professor. She told them that they were lying and that it was all bullshit and she screamed as she ran up cryin to their room. The new recruits seemed only somber. They were too young to really understand what was going on. Especially Jaime. Jamie cried and ran out of the room. Kurt was the only one to really make an effort with the kid. Hell, Kurt made an effort with everyone, even her. She sighed and continued thinking to herself.  
  
She hadn't seen Jean or Scott. The professor told them that they were the first ones to find his body next to Amanda's, reaching out and trying to touch her. She shook her head and dried some of her tears.  
  
She liked Amanda; she seemed good for her brother. They never really talked or anything, but whenever Kurt would talk about her, it would always bring a huge smile to his face. She sighed and looked down at her feet again, feeling the tears well up in her face. She hadn't seen Kurt smile at her in days. She hadn't seen Kurt laugh in her presence or even talk to her. She would never be able to make things right now. She was an orphan.  
  
Again.  
  
Kurt told her that her actions would haunt her the rest of her life. She had killed her mother and now her brother was gone too.  
  
She lifted her face up, trying to control herself. Or maybe it was just an illusion. They weren't really her family. Their blood wasn't her blood. It was just an easy way to feel connected to somebody. And now that they're gone, the connection is severed.  
  
Right?  
  
Rogue let out a small scream and pulled her hair. She was angry. She was sad. She was hurt. But she couldn't tell if she was sad because her brother was gone, or because her friend was gone, or because her chance to make up with him was gone, or because she'd never see his goofy smile again.  
  
Tears streamed down her face.  
  
Or that she'd never laugh at one of his stupid cornball jokes again.  
  
She wiped her face and began to regain her composure.  
  
Or she'd never yell at him to quit buggin her and Kitty when they're tryin to get ready for school.  
  
Rogue felt more tears stubbornly start to fall down her cheeks.  
  
She'd never sit and listen to his stories about what it was like to grow up in a warm loving family.  
  
She'd never hear about his newest ideas on how to get away with pranks or how the McGriddle is the best invention mankind has ever made.  
  
She smiled in spite of herself and hugged her knees into her chest.  
  
She'd never hear him tell her about how he's glad to have her as a sister, as a teammate, and as a friend.  
  
For a moment Marie quit being 'the Rogue' and began to lament the loss of her brother.  
  
////////////////////////////////////  
  
Logan sat and looked at the only other occupants of the room: the two bags lying across the room from him, Kurt and Amanda. He rubbed his hands over his face and looked at the back room of the infirmary. It was surreal almost, making the back of the infirmary into a morgue. It made sense. A morbid, utilitarian kind of sense. They would teach the kids how to fight. The kids would go out. Some would get hurt, some would die.  
  
He shook his head and thought only of the black bag infront of him. He felt bad for the Half-pint. The Elf was her best friend. She took it hard. So did Rogue and Shades and the newbies. Everyone did. Even Storm had streams of tears running down her face.  
  
He sighed and looked down at his feet for a second. The first time is always the worst. There would be more. There would always more death. It's the rules of the Game. People die, you move on. You have to survive.  
  
Logan felt a twitch in the air and sniffed. Something wasn't right. He looked around the room as he began to feel the same pull from earlier, only multiplied by a thousand and continuously getting stronger. His claws shot out and he gripped both sides of his head. The air in the room became energized with electricity. Logan felt all of his senses become aligned on the one body bag in the center of the room. The hair all over his body stood on end as he felt the shock in the back of his skull sweep throughout his body.  
  
Small streams of lightning began to dance inside one of the black bags in the middle of the room and tore it to shreds.  
  
Logan felt his senses begin to relax and he got up from his knees and inched closer to the table where the Elf's body rested. The figure on the table opened his eyes and shrieked.  
  
Logan yelled out the two words he felt could correctly describe the situation. "HOLY SHIT!" 


	5. A Father's Love

-'Who Wants to Live Forever'-  
  
Pairings: Scott/Jean. mentions of Kurt/Amanda, but well, you'll see  
  
A/N: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews. Speaking of reviews,  
  
ananova: Of course Beast will run tests. Its what he does.  
  
Scrawler: Hope this is soon enough.  
  
TDK: I'm glad you liked everyone's reactions. I wanted to make sure I got them right. Hopefully I did here too.  
  
Arin Ross/Arain Rowan: I'm very glad that you...or at least one of you, I'm not really sure, like it. But there is only one other thing I can say about your review, I am a man, i.e. BoxerMAN, I'm not really insulted or anything, but its just a little weird when the people reviewing you think youre a girl. Unless you're a girl in which case its perfectly warranted. I am not, therefore you see my predicament. Like I said, I'm not angry or anything, just a little confused.  
  
Maikafuniel: Thanks for the review, and once again, thanks for letting have my story on your site. Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.  
  
A/N 1: Okay, this is going to make reference to the death of Stefan Szardos, Kurt's foster brother in the comics, I know that its been done to death in fan fiction, ha, I made a funny. The Seftons are in now way related to the Szardos family in this fic. I couldn't find their names, so I made them up. And as for the harshness of Joseph Sefton in this part, its understandable, he just lost his daughter. The main reason it took so long to update was getting the Seftons just right. I hope I did okay. Anyway, just letting you know.  
  
A/N 2: Also, the reason I make reference to "Immortal," "the Game," etc, is because this is eventually, god willing going to be a highlander cross, and I don't want tons of hate mail for killing off the fuzzy one. If I wanted hate mail, I'd write...I dunno something stupid.....er.  
  
A/N 3: If you like this story, do yourself, or more likely me, a favor and read and review some of my other stories. Now on to the story!  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Marvel Comics or Highlander.  
  
Dedicated to everyone that has ideas but doesn't think they're good enough  
  
////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Kurt sat motionless in the infirmary, inches away from a singular black bag that lay infront of him on the table.  
  
He reached out with a three-fingered hand and slowly caressed the cold hard plastic. Only a soft touch, a feather of movement before his arm shot back to his side. He stared in place, his eyes cold and hard. A soft male voice echoed in the back of his head.  
  
"It wasn't your fault Kurt."  
  
Kurt almost laughed at the absurdity. 'Then whose fault was it?'  
  
The bag sat undisturbed, a shallow monument to his cowardice. Was she really in there? Kurt felt his hands start to tremble as they slowly edges forward to the zipper of the bag.  
  
His hand shot back to his side and he closed his eyes. His fur stood on end as he forced his hands by his side. The temperature in the room seemed to cool as he regained control of his body. He closed his eyes and took a few shallow breaths. He opened his eyes; half expecting the bag to disappear like it was all a trick.  
  
His eyes rested back on the bag, the black shine contrasting the pale white walls and tiled floor. It lay there still as it was. Calling to him, tempting him, inviting him to open it.  
  
He reached forward again with his right arm. Tentatively. Slowly. As his fingers neared the zipper, his vision began to cloud with memories.  
  
-A young man's limp body as it fell to the ground. His curly black hair matted in the dirt and rain, blood covering the left side of his body, his neck at an impossible angle. -  
  
Kurt's hand wavered over the zipper, slowly descending to the cold metal.  
  
-A stone statue quietly crying in the corner of the room before falling just out of reach, and shattering. -  
  
Whispers of cold air escaped the bag as he gripped the small steel tab with two of his pterodactyl fingers and slowly pulled the zipper down.  
  
-Amanda's lifeless brown eyes as the rain fell, leaving false tears across her face. -  
  
Kurt forcefully closed his eyes and stopped as the last image assaulted his senses. He could still feel the rain drip down on him as the life flowed out of his body. Kurt growled as he fought the images to the dark recesses of his mind, batting them away with the last few embers of self-control. He took a large shallow breath and opened the top of the bag.  
  
Amanda lay there with her eyes closed and her mouth partially open. Her once lovingly browned skin was slightly pale; her warm lips were only a grim steel line.  
  
Kurt turned away and began to choke on his own breath, fighting back the bile rising in his stomach. He cleared the tears from his eyes and closed his eyes and began to pray.  
  
//////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Xavier held his head in his hands. "Sometimes I wish that I never decided to start this school."  
  
Logan walked out from the shadows. Xavier sighed and looked back at his friend. "You can't sneak up on me Logan, you know that."  
  
Logan nodded his head and walked behind the professor's chair. He grabbed the handles and slowly started to push him towards his office. "I know Chuck, I know."  
  
Xavier shook his head as they continued down the hall. "Have you informed the rest of the students?"  
  
The grizzly mutant nodded and kept his eyes towards the door on the end of the passage. "Yeah, they all know the Elf's alive. I told them that he's starting to have a accelerated healing factor or something, I don't know Chuck." He looked down at the mutant as he pushed him down the hall. "What the hell is really going on here?"  
  
The professor sighed. "I'm not sure my friend."  
  
Logan growled almost imperceptibly in his throat. "The kid was dead Chuck."  
  
Xander let out a small breath and looked down at the floor.  
  
Logan 's voice became slightly more accusing as he continued to speak. "The kid was dead, Hank thinks it, Red and Shades are convincing themselves that it didn't really happen, but you and I KNOW it."  
  
Xavier almost shouted back. "OF COURSE I..."  
  
He turned around and did a quick mental sweep before speaking again. "Of course I know it, but what other explanation is there? Tell me Logan, How else could a man take six shots, SIX SHOTS, to the heart and the lungs, and still be alive?"  
  
"That's just it Chuck, you said it yourself, the Elf wasn't alive."  
  
"Then what, his mutation allowed him to 'come back from the dead?'"  
  
Logan sighed. "I don't know. Its just..."  
  
Xavier finished for him. "...that 'feeling.'"  
  
Logan growled. "In the morgue, it came back a thousand times worse. My skin was on fire. All I could see touch taste, smell, it was all pointing at him. I _know_ that has something to do with it. It was never this bad."  
  
"I know that you put a lot of stock into your instincts and intuition Logan, and maybe it _does_ have something to do with Kurt's... 'resurrection.' But the pieces still do not add up. All I know is that I had to call Kurt's parents back and tell them that their only son was dead, and then call them back and let them know he was alive. Do you know what that does to a person?"  
  
Xavier sighed and looked back infront of him, staring off into space. "It already takes a part of yourself to think that you child has been taken from you. A parent should never outlive their children. It is just wrong. And then to call them back, and let them know it was all just a _mistake_?"  
  
"It wasn't a mistake Chuck."  
  
Xavier sighed. "It takes something away in a family. It takes away their innocence. They'll never be able to go a day without thinking the worst. Believe me."  
  
Logan closed his eyes and exhaled. He knew about Xavier's own battle and loss with David.  
  
"It wasn't your fault Chuck."  
  
Xavier barely managed to hold back his tongue. They turned a corner in the mansion and went into the elevator. Logan leaned over and pressed the button for the first floor.  
  
The elevator slowly began to rise. "I said the same thing to Kurt."  
  
"About what?"  
  
Xavier straitened his head. "That it wasn't his fault. That there was nothing he could have done."  
  
Logan sighed as the elevator began to slow down and stop. "There _wasn't_ anything you could do either."  
  
Xavier nodded once before turning back to his old friend. "Does that make it any better?"  
  
Logan let his shoulder sag and waited for the elevator doors to open. "No it doesn't."  
  
A faint *ding* sounded and the doors slowly opened. Logan pushed the wheelchair out into the hallway and made a left. Xavier closed his eyes and touched his forehead. "Logan, does that... 'sensation' come _every_ time you and Kurt are near each other?"  
  
Logan nodded. "Yes."  
  
Xavier slowly rubbed his temples. "He's still in the morgue. I think you should try and keep an eye on him, take him in the Danger room, train him, make him read a book, just talk to him." He opened his eyes and sighed. "I need you to keep him away from Amanda's body for a while."  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow as they arrived in the front lobby.  
  
"I have to take care of a few things."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
Xavier silently approached a window and saw a car's headlights approach the front gate. "Important things."  
  
////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Joseph Sefton parked the car infront of the Xavier institute. He had driven past the huge mansion on his daily commute to work. Never really thought that the place was home to a bunch of mutants. You never know where they are.  
  
Who they are.  
  
What they are.  
  
He sighed and replayed the whole conversation in his head. She said that she was just going to the movies with her friends. Could he really have known?  
  
Part of him responded back. 'Hah, what friends?' Ever since they found out that she went out with that godforsaken mutie, all her friends left her. Now all she had _were_ her damn mutie friends. Keith and Andrea never called. They were inseparable when they were little. He could remember the three of them playing together in the sandbox when they were little, calling themselves the 'three Amigos'. He smiled inspire of himself. He remembered his wife chastising him for letting them watch such an 'idiotic and moronic' movie. He hadn't seen Amanda with anyone except that mutie freak and his damned mutie friends for weeks.  
  
And now he was going into the lion's den.  
  
He sighed and looked over in the passenger seat. Her short dark hair was still damp from the rain. There were no tears in her eyes. No sadness, no anger, no hate. Only a blank expression. She would answer a simple 'yes' or 'no' to his questions and just go back to staring at the wall, the door, her feet, anywhere. But she didn't look into his eyes. He understood why. Amanda had his deep brown eyes.  
  
He pulled his arm up and grasped her hand. Her cold clammy hand sat limp in his embrace. He squeezed harder and felt a little tug back in return. He led her out of the car and up the steps. He would be strong for her.  
  
The front door to the institute opened to reveal a bald white man in a wheelchair. "Mr. and..."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
The bald man looked at him with slight trepidation and sorrow. "I'm s..."  
  
"Where's my daughter you damned mutie lover?" [1]  
  
The man sighed and wheeled his chair around. "If you'll follow me."  
  
Joseph squeezed his wife's hand a little and led her down the hallway following the bald man.  
  
////////////////////////////////////  
  
Logan approached the hallway leading to the infirmary. He took a deep breath and continued steadily walking towards the door. He knew it would come as soon as he got close enough. The slow tickling in his inner ear shuddered and expanded throughout his entire body. The electric shock coursed throughout his nerves as he staggered to keep his balance walking into the room. He heard a small German voice call out, "Lassen sie mich allein."  
  
-Leave me alone. -  
  
Logan huffed as he walked next to the kneeling mutant. "Chuck asked me to come check on you."  
  
Kurt had his hands clasped together in prayer, his forehead resting on his thumbs as he prayed in German. "Gehen sie weg."  
  
-Go away. -  
  
Logan sighed and sat down next to the blue mutant. "You know I don't speak none of that Elf."  
  
"Zhen let me spell it out for you." He turned and looked at Logan, his blue fur matted with tears. He bared his fangs and shouted. "GET OUT!"  
  
Logan remained quiet as he let the grieving Nightcrawler bow his head back in prayer.  
  
After a few seconds the elf spoke softly. "I could feel you coming."  
  
Logan nodded. "Yeah...I could sense you too."  
  
The elf kept quiet for a couple more seconds. "You know I cannot really pray while you are next to me."  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow.  
  
Kurt clasped his hands tighter. "It's hard to concentrate."  
  
The grizzled mutant sighed. "I know the feeling...."  
  
Logan tensed as he heard Xavier call out to him telepathically. 'Logan, the Seftons have arrived. I need you to take Kurt away from the morgue.'  
  
'You sure Chuck? The kid aint gonna leave easy.'  
  
'The Seftons have a right to grieve as well. Maybe if you take Kurt and distract him for a while, he might be able to deal better.'  
  
Logan sighed and put a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "You know I aint all that good about tryin to make things better and stuff, right elf?"  
  
Kurt muttered sardonically. "Ja? I couldn't tell."  
  
"Well I aint gonna tell you what to do or how to grieve, but I will tell you this..."  
  
Several seconds of silence ensued before Kurt took the bait. "What?"  
  
Logan pulled the teenager up and led him out of the room. "Ya smell like hell. Go take a shower. You aint changed your clothes since you got back."  
  
Kurt looked down at his dirt-encrusted clothes. They were still soggy with water and grime and blood. He could feel how matted his fur was underneath the torn fabrics. He chuckled to himself as he let Logan lead him down the hallway.  
  
//////////////////////////////////////  
  
Charles Xavier sighed in relief as he sensed the two mutants leave the back of the infirmary. He was leading the Seftons on a rather...long trip to the morgue. He was having trouble keeping his mental shield up with their grief at such a close proximity. He felt their sadness wash over him like a tidal wave. He concentrated harder so that he couldn't feel their thoughts despite the strength of the emotion. He held his jaw shut in concentration as they arrived at the door.  
  
"I will stay out here and let you to your privacy. Let me know if you need anything."  
  
Mr. Sefton leaned forward and grasped the handle to the door and opened it. He let his wife slowly walk in before turning back to the professor and spoke in a low distasteful voice. "You've done enough."  
  
/////////////////////////////////  
  
Logan sighed as he watched the elf walk into his bedroom. They hadn't spoken since they left the morgue. He didn't think Kurt noticed that they took a slightly less direct route than normal, so hopefully He'd just...  
  
*BAMF*  
  
Logan rushed over to the door and forcefully slammed into it with his shoulder. It opened to reveal a settling cloud of smoke. He turned to see a blue figure at the end of the hallway disappear again.  
  
*BAMF*  
  
"Aw, hell."  
  
////////////////////////////////  
  
Joseph Sefton watched as his wife gently stroked the face of their dead child. His wife did not cry or even look at her daughter's face. She only looked down at her hands repeating the same motion over and over again.  
  
*BAMF*  
  
Joe pulled his wife behind him as he turned to face the blue creature responsible for his daughter's death. "YOU!"  
  
/////////////////////  
  
Charles Xavier turned his head as he acknowledged the familiar sound from inside the room. "Oh, hell." [2]  
  
Logan appeared at the end of the hall, sprinting towards his position. "Chuck, the Elf's..."  
  
Xavier moved to the door to the morgue and opened it. "I know, I know."  
  
////////////////////  
  
Mary Sefton looked on with hollow eyes as her husband approached the young mutant. "Its all YOUR GODDAMNED FAULT."  
  
The creature flinched and walked back towards the wall. "Mr. Sefton, I..."  
  
"You fucking mutie."  
  
The door flung open revealing the man in the wheelchair and a burly man with messy black hair. The bald man rolled forward. "Mr. Sefton, I believe it would be best..."  
  
"Shut up you bastard. I'm talking to the mutie son of a bitch that killed my daughter."  
  
The muscled man moved in between the bald man and Joe. "Listen here bub."  
  
The blue creature stirred and looked over to Mary Sefton. The woman's eyes seemed glazed over as she stared off into space.  
  
"What do you think you're going to do, Huh?"  
  
The man grinned and unsheathed his claws. "Well, I got an inklin' of an idea."  
  
"Logan, please. Mr. Sefton, there is no need..."  
  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU FREAKS?"  
  
Next to the table where Amanda Sefton lay, her mother spoke barely in a whisper. "Just stop it Joe."  
  
"I don't think anyone'll mind Chuck. Just gimme a minute."  
  
"Well come on you ugly monster."  
  
"STOP IT!"  
  
All of the occupants of the room turned to see Mary Sefton shaking with rage. Joe barely flinched as he felt her attach herself to his right arm. "Please Joe."  
  
Joseph kept his gaze on the other three men in the room as he felt his wife pulling on his sleeve. "Please, I just want my baby. I don't care, I just want to leave and..."  
  
The patriarch of the Sefton household looked on as his wife continued to sob in his arms. He looked back at the creature staring quietly at the two of them. "If I ever see you again, I swear to almighty God..."  
  
The blue mutant moved over to where Amanda's body lay and spoke. "I know Mister Sefton. Just know that I wish, I truly wish I had died along with your daughter."  
  
The creature gently reached out to touch Amanda's face. Joseph grabbed the creature's wrist and glared.  
  
The burly man growled and took a step forward. The blue mutant raised his hand. "Nein, Herr Logan, please, leave us alone."  
  
Logan shook his head and opened his mouth to protest when the bald man in the wheelchair put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Are you sure Kurt?"  
  
Kurt nodded and looked back at Joe Sefton, who still held his right wrist. "Ja Herr Professor. I'm sure"  
  
The professor nodded and leaded the other man out of the room. Logan turned to give one last glare at the Sefton male before they exited. "Let me know if you need anything Elf."  
  
Kurt nodded once and turned back to face the Seftons. Mary Sefton was still sobbing in her husband's chest. Joseph slowly let go of Kurt's wrist. The young mutant gave a small smile of appreciation. "Danke."  
  
Joseph Sefton's face continued in a grimace. "My daughter died because of you."  
  
Kurt nodded and looked at his feet. "She was beautiful."  
  
Joseph continued to glare at him. "No, she was _the_ most important and _the_ most beautiful thing in my life and you took her away."  
  
They stood in silence for several seconds before Joseph's grimace contorted in pain. "Do you believe in God?"  
  
Kurt unconsciously touched the crucifix he kept under his uniform. Joseph leaned closer and yelled in anger. "I SAID, 'DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?'"  
  
Kurt's brow furrowed as looked up into the man's hateful eyes. "Ja."  
  
Joseph leaned back and asked with disgust. "How can a freak of nature believe in God?"  
  
Kurt sighed as he struggled to maintain his self-control. "God loves all of his creations."  
  
Joseph Sefton unconsciously pulled his wife closer to him and spoke. "Even if God could love an abomination like you, you're still a murderer you mutie freak."  
  
Kurt remained quiet, but kept his solid gaze on Mr. Sefton. Several seconds of silence permeated the room before Joseph kissed his wife on the top of her head and led her out.  
  
Kurt hung his head and leaned back onto the wall. Logan rushed into the room. "You okay Elf?"  
  
Kurt nodded meekly. "I shall take zhat shower now Herr Logan."  
  
//////////////////////////  
  
Kurt scrubbed his hair furiously in the shower. Most of the grime and blood had come off, returning his fur to its original blue sheen. He turned off the showerhead and grabbed a towel to dry himself. He walked by his blurred reflection in the fogged mirror and turned to face it. The distorted image cocked its head and stared back at him. He raised his left hand and slowly wiped the fog away.  
  
The newer image was clearer than the light blue-tinted blur. Its wet hair clung to its darker blue body. The mirror-Kurt opened its mouth, baring its pearl white fangs and stifled a yawn.  
  
Kurt stared in the pale yellow eyes of his double.  
  
His reflection tensed its arms and leaned forward, imitating him. He reached over with his left arm and pointed at his double. The image in the mirror matched his movements with his right hand. Their fingertips slowly approached each other and softly touched. Kurt sighed as he felt the cold metallic texture of the mirror and stepped back. He grabbed a clean t-shirt and khakis he left draped over the towel hanger and got dressed. With one last look at his doppelganger he teleported and fogged up the mirror again with smoke and brimstone.  
  
///////////////////////////////////////  
  
[1] At this time, no one knows that Xavier's a mutant.  
  
[2] Just incase you ask, Xavier turned up his mental shields so that he wouldn't be eavesdropping on the Seftons thoughts, so he didn't register Logan's thoughts or Kurt's presence. 


	6. Family and Recovery

-'Who Wants to Live Forever'-  
  
Pairings: Scott/Jean. Mentions of Kurt/Amanda and one sided Kurtty but well, you'll see  
  
A/N: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews. Speaking of reviews,  
  
Ananova: Glad to see that I'm keeping you interested.  
  
Arin Ross/Arain Rowan: Well I'm very glad that one of you is enjoying this, I'll win the over the other one later.  
  
Scrawler: Thanks for the compliments.  
  
Wolviesfan: Yeah, I'm not keeping to close to the comics besides some background information and such. As for Logan in the evo universe, since it's never made reference to him knowing German, I'm just assuming that he doesn't know German.  
  
Justsomeone: Thanks for the review. I went back and looked at some pics and such, its usually white, although I the comics and everything its yellow so I'm gonna fix it to yellow, thanks for the help.  
  
A/N : Sorry about the wait, But I got bit by a brown recluse, couldn't get around, got shot up with happy sleepy drugs and antibiotics and then Spring Break came and Well, you know how real life keeps you from the keyboard. But I'm making it up with my longest chapter ever.  
  
A/N 2: If you like this story, do yourself, or more likely me, a favor and read and review some of my other stories. Now on to the story!  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Marvel Comics or Highlander.  
  
And because someone said that using single apostrophes to denote thought was a little confusing,  
  
"" = Speech '' = Thought  
  
Let me know if that helps or I need to change it.  
  
Dedicated to everyone that has ideas but doesn't think they're good enough  
  
////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
"Come on Scott, we cant wait forever."  
  
"Yeah, we've been waiting for twenty minutes."  
  
"The mall closes at ten, we need to hurry."  
  
"Amara, it only opened an hour ago."  
  
"See, the peasant has caused an hour of shopping time to be wasted. I say..."  
  
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"  
  
The team leader sighed and turned around to face the occupants of the black X-van.  
  
"Just a few more minutes guys, I promise."  
  
He turned back to face the windshield and tapped his finger on the steering wheel. A soft comforting presence breezed through his mind and he turned to see a redheaded telepath smiling sweetly at him.  
  
Jean reached over from the passenger seat and rested her hand on his shoulder. 'Its okay Scott, He'll be here.'  
  
Scott returned his gaze to the digital clock. 'We _have_ been waiting for nearly half an hour.'  
  
The slow warmth of emotion poured through his mind as Jean rested back in her seat. 'He's coming, don't worry.'  
  
///////////////////////////////////  
  
Kurt ran through the kitchen, a swirl of blue arms and legs as he reached out and grabbed a bagel, stuffing it into his mouth and shoving his other arm into the sleeve of his red jacket.  
  
He felt a familiar tingle caress the base of his neck and spun around. He had gotten somewhat used to the small unearthly signal in the back of his mind. Logan had a hard time sneaking up on the blue furred youth and vice versa. Kurt rattled his head, trying to force the uncomfortable feeling from his head.  
  
Logan shook his head as the electricity cleared from his mind as he walked into the pantry.  
  
He locked eyes with the German mutant and mumbled a gruff hello.  
  
Kurt gave him a little smile before going back to eating his bagel.  
  
Logan took the newspaper off the counter and opened it to the national news section before pouring himself a cup of coffee and leaning against the counter. "Elf."  
  
"Vas?"  
  
Logan kept his eyes on the paper as he spoke. "I think you should restart your training."  
  
Kurt stopped his flurried motion and looked solemnly at the elder mutant. "Are you sure Herr Logan? I do not know if..."  
  
Logan kept his body still as his eyes wandered up from his paper and solidly rested on the blue mutant. "Elf. I don't want you to loose any of your combat readiness by being lazy. Every X-man has danger room drills at least once every two weeks and I don't make exceptions."  
  
Kurt locked eyes with Logan and solidly stared into the dark brown eyes of his teacher. After a few second Kurt looked down at his feet and nodded. "Ja. Herr Logan."  
  
Logan rustled the paper and went back to reading. "I don't want any of those skills I taught you to go to waste."  
  
"Ja Herr Logan."  
  
"Now I aint one to preach an' lecture, but I think it'd probably do you some good."  
  
"Ja Herr Logan."  
  
"And I want you in the danger room today after you and the others get back from the mall."  
  
"Ja Herr..."  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong el..."  
  
"Scheiße!"  
  
-Shit! -  
  
"Elf?"  
  
Kurt quickly ran back to the table and grabbed his jacked and image inducer. "I'm late! Zhe others are probably outside in zhe van."  
  
The young mutant acted as a tornado grabbing various items he had strewn about the kitchen.  
  
"Yo Elf."  
  
"Ja?"  
  
"You left the other half of your bagel."  
  
Kurt feigned innocence and sweetly said to the teacher, "Scott said zhat I can no longer eat in zhe car."  
  
Logan rolled his eyes as he switched to the sports section of the paper, which Kurt took as his signal to leave.  
  
*BAMF*  
  
Logan quickly covered the top of his cup. After the smoke wafted away he took a sniff of his coffee. A low growl emanated from the kitchen as Logan walked back to the coffeemaker.  
  
"Damn brimstone smell gets into everything."  
  
//////////////////////////////////  
  
*BAMF*  
  
The occupants of the X-van looked outside to see a blue blur tear down the lawn and jump into the vehicle and hurriedly secure his backpack, turn on his image inducer, and fasten his seatbelt within three seconds.  
  
"Vas?"  
  
Bobby glared at the blue mutant. "You're late."  
  
Scott adjusted the rear view mirror to see the passengers in the back of the van. "Guys, settle down now, we talked about this. Is your inducer charged Kurt?"  
  
The blue mutant held up his arm. "Ja, charged and ready."  
  
Scott nodded and turned the ignition.  
  
Kurt shied his face down as the van started and lurched forward. He felt a small weight on his shoulder and turned to his left.  
  
"You okay Kurt?"  
  
He turned to face Kitty smiling warmly at him. Her light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail left two small strands framing her face. He looked down at his holographic hands and cracked 'two' knuckles at a time. "Ja, Herr Logan just wanted to remind me zhat I have zhe Danger room when we get back."  
  
Her brown eyes filled with concern as she dipped her head lower to intercept his gaze. "You sure you're up for it?"  
  
Kurt grinned mischievously and waggled his eyebrows. "I can assure you Katzchen, I am up for _anyzhing_."  
  
That earned him a soft smack upside the head from someone in the backseat. Kurt turned around and boasted in mock indignation. "Who dares attack zhe Incredible Nightcrawler?"  
  
Amara and Ray rolled their eyes while Rogue gave a small smile. Bobby whistled slowly and found that the roof of the van was very interesting. Kurt rewarded the young mutant's treachery with an evil glare before turning back to face to his beloved Katzchen.  
  
"Where is everyone else?"  
  
Scott turned on his signal and merged into the left lane. "Storm is driving them up later. They're supposed to go to meet us at the food court at noon."  
  
Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Storm is in charge of zhe rest of zhe new recruits by herself."  
  
"Yep."  
  
"I shall pray for her soul."  
  
"See that you do."  
  
/////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Ororo Monroe watched in horror as thirty Jamies trampled through her rose garden while chasing a screaming Samuel Guthrie.  
  
"AAAAAAAGGGHHHH!"  
  
A loud explosion erupted from the front lawn. A slightly burnt Tabitha Smith whooped in excitement as an equally burnt Roberto Decostas shortly chased her. "I swear on all that is holy Boom Boom, I _WILL_ _BURN_ _YOU_!"  
  
A slightly amused Dr. Henry McCoy watched idly from the pantry window sipping a cup of tea. He turned to look at Logan, who was still reading the newspaper and drinking coffee. "Should I go out and help her?"  
  
Logan's response was to turn the page of the paper and drink a little more coffee.  
  
"ROBERTO! NOT THE..."  
  
*CRASH*  
  
McCoy nodded his head before looking back out the window and taking another sip of tea. "Yes I suppose you are right."  
  
A loud thud reverberated through the institute as McCoy sighed and put his cup down. "I'll be reading in the library incase anyone needs me."  
  
Logan grunted his acknowledgement.  
  
Outside, Ororo ran in her high heels trying to catch up to the multiplying horde of Jamies ravaging her plants.  
  
////////////////////////////////////////  
  
The X-van pulled into the mall parking lot and the Xavier school students piled out of the vehicle. "So..." Ray yawned and stretched his arms. "What are we shopping for on this fine winter day?"  
  
Scott pressed a small button on his key chain to lock the doors and cocked his head to the side. "Well it's that time of year again..."  
  
Bobby rubbed his hands together evilly as they walked. "Christmas presents."  
  
A low growl from behind him told him to revise his earlier statement.  
  
"Or Hanukkah presents or whatever religious preference you have."  
  
Kitty smiled sweetly at Bobby before turning back to Kurt. "So, what do you think I should get Lance?"  
  
A collective groan was heard throughout the group.  
  
"What? Like, I thought that we were over the whole 'Lance is from the Brotherhood' thing."  
  
"Yeah, but we're not over the whole 'Lance is an idiot' thing."  
  
Bobby had a three second head start before Kitty took off after him. "Come back here you coward!"  
  
Scott shook his head as they walked towards the mall entrance. "I thought we were going to save beating Bobby into a bloody pulp for later."  
  
Ray grinned as Amara rolled her eyes. "Nah, might as well get it out of her system now so Bobby'll be somewhat quiet while we shop."  
  
Kurt walked slowly towards the mall, letting his friends get a little ahead of him. The warm sun was shining down on him, providing a nice contrast to the small breeze that was steadily picking up. He chuckled to himself as a thought suddenly occurred to him. 'I wonder if Fraulien Monroe is breaking out zhe big guns.'  
  
A small voice giggled. 'I dunno Kurt. She wouldn't zap any of them unless it was absolutely necessary.'  
  
Kurt grinned. 'Ja Jean. But you have to remember zhat Tabby is back at zhe house now.' [1]  
  
Jean smiled and rubbed her hand over the back of Scott's shirt. 'I'm glad that you came with us today.'  
  
Kurt gave her a small smile. 'Danke. I needed to get out a little, you know, and take care of a couple zhings.'  
  
Jean looked pointedly at Rogue, who was walking quietly next to the group, looking somewhat dejected. 'Yeah, there _are_ some things you really need to take care of.'  
  
Kurt blinked and bit the inside of his lip. 'Ja. I...we...'  
  
"OW, Kitty that hurt!"  
  
Kitty returned to the group smiling triumphantly, followed shortly by a slightly bruised and limping Bobby Drake.  
  
Scott raised an eyebrow. "You okay there Iceman?"  
  
Bobby opened his mouth to reply. "I..."  
  
"OOOHHH!"  
  
Kitty grabbed Kurt's head in a headlock and pointed to a Claire's Accessories. [2] "Oh my God, I have been like soooooo, looking for those earrings, come on fuzzy!!!"  
  
Kurt's eyes bugged out in pure terror. "Why do I have to go?"  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "So you can, like tell me which ones look good on me."  
  
Kurt replied sincerely. "But Katzchen, everyzhing looks good on you."  
  
Kitty smiled down upon him. "Awww, that's so sweet Kurt, but it aint gonna work, now come on."  
  
Kurt's face fell as he looked back to Jean as he was dragged off. 'Tell mozher and fazher I loved zhem.'  
  
The redheaded telepath giggled aloud before stopping to realize that Scott and the others were staring peculiarly at her. Scott raised an eyebrow. "Something you want to share with us Jean?"  
  
Jean blushed and shook her head. "No, just amusing myself."  
  
Ray rolled his eyes before gathering a little electric charge in his hand and playing with it. "Okaaaay then."  
  
Scott grabbed Ray's arm. "What the hell are you doing? You know we're not supposed to..."  
  
Amara rolled her eyes and groaned before heading off to shop alone. The team leader had been switched to 'lecture mode' and she was in no mood to listen to another speech about the responsibilities and dangers of using powers in public.  
  
///////////////////////////////////////  
  
Rogue eyed the simple silver cross and chain. Most of the other 'Goths' in the school, if you wanted to call them that, appreciated the more elaborate and Gothic style of crosses and jewelry. This pendant was very simple and relatively small. A saleswoman walked over and eyed the girl suspiciously. "Can I help you dear?"  
  
Rogue internally groaned as she acted nice to the salesclerk. "Yeah, could Ah see that necklace please?"  
  
The black haired thirty-year-old mother of two raised her eyebrow before kneeling down and opening the glass case. She looked back up at the teenager. "The one on the left?"  
  
"Yeah, that one."  
  
The saleswoman nodded before taking it out and holding the pendant up for Rogue to see. "Yes, This is one of our Sterling Silver cross pendants. It's a rather simple design as you can tell. Most of our other necklaces are of a more ornate and intricate design..."  
  
Rogue raised her left eyebrow before stating plainly, "Ah like that one."  
  
The elder woman was taken slightly aback by the girl's statement and became a little more annoyed. "Yes, well this cross is priced at...one hundred and thirty dollars. Would you like to purchase it?"  
  
Rogue sighed and held out her hand. "Could Ah at least hold it first?"  
  
The clerk groaned and gently lowered the necklace into the young customer's hand. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a couple at the cash register, she looked over at them and silently mouthed to wait for a minute before turning back to the Goth. "Can I trust you to not leave without returning the necklace?"  
  
Rogue nodded her head while still looking at the cross. "Yeah, of course."  
  
The saleswoman sighed and quickly ran over to the cash register, leaving Rogue standing alone.  
  
She held the cross in the palm of her left hand, dwarfing the tiny icon. The cross itself was less than an inch long and half an inch across the t. The warm black gloves contrasted the shimmering metal. She could feel the silver cool against her skin even through the leather gloves she wore. As she twirled her fingers in the loose metal chain, she could feel that the chain also felt remarkable cool to the touch.  
  
"It looks nice."  
  
Her hand snapped shut and she quickly spun around. "Wha..."  
  
The holographic Kurt stood infront of her. He had his hands behind his back with his head held low. "Zhe cross, it looks very nice."  
  
Rogue blinked and shook her head to regain her focus. "Uh, yeah. Ah like it. Its simple, ya know. It aint trying tah be something that its not."  
  
Kurt's face contorted into a look of extreme confusion. "I know zhat my English has greatly improved, but still, zhat did not make much sense."  
  
Rogue grinned and opened her left hand to show off the cross. She traced the outer edge of the cross with her right index finger. "Its simple. All the other crosses around here and just...fancy ya know. This one is just..."  
  
Kurt smiled. "Ja, I zhink I know what you are trying to say."  
  
They stood in uncomfortable silence until Kurt spoke up. "Rogue?"  
  
The seventeen-year-old girl looked up at him. "Yeah Kurt?"  
  
"After..." Kurt shook his head and nervously leaned on one leg. "I know zhat it has been a while since we talked..."  
  
Rogue rolled her eyes and playfully laughed. "We're talking now aren't we?"  
  
Kurt laughed a little and looked down at his feet. "I mean, it's been a while since you and I talked like..."  
  
Rogue felt her internal defenses pop up as her heart clenched in her chest. "Like what? Like 'brother and sister?'"  
  
Kurt didn't notice as he continued to look down at his feet. "Well, at least like we used to."  
  
Rogue internally screamed at herself. She wanted to let him back in. She wanted to just laugh at his nervousness and say that it was all going to be okay. But he was gone.  
  
He came back.  
  
And in her mind she knew he could be gone again.  
  
The nervous teenager looked up and held up his hands in defense. "I just..."  
  
Rogue's face flushed red as she felt her eyes start to well up with tears. "Stop, just stop okay? Ah don't really need tah be hearin this right now."  
  
Kurt stepped in front of her and held her shoulders by the fabric. "Ja, but I need to say it."  
  
Rogue closed her eyes and willed herself not to cry. "I know, I just..."  
  
The saleswoman walked back over to the two mutants. "Is there something the matter."  
  
Rogue thrust the necklace back into the woman's hand as she ran out. "Nah, It's just a little too much for me right now, ya know?"  
  
The woman opened her hand and looked down at pendant. "I could have sworn that she wanted to buy it."  
  
/////////////////////////  
  
Logan looked down at his watch as the sensation took hold of him again. The Elf had a little less than fifteen seconds to make it into the Danger Room without being late.  
  
The grizzly teacher grinned as his hearing picked up curses in German and the sound of running.  
  
It was a new condition that Logan had enforced on their training. No porting and he had to be on time to every lesson. If the kid was on time, he had agreed to not beat the Elf half to death.  
  
A loud crash reverberated through the corridor leading to the Danger Room. The sound of running feet stopped, while the cursing increased.  
  
If he wasn't on time...Logan stopped himself from grinning and shouted down the time.  
  
"FOUR SECONDS ELF!"  
  
The running increased.  
  
"THREE!"  
  
"TWO!"  
  
As Logan opened his mouth for the final count, a frantic Nightcrawler on all fours ran into the room.  
  
"I'm here! I'm here!"  
  
Kurt stood up and dusted himself off before looking at his instructor, who looked mildly confused and slightly "Vas?"  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow. "You run on all fours?"  
  
Kurt looked mildly embarrassed as he explained. "Well, ja, but only if I need to. I don't like to do it if it's not necessary."  
  
Logan crossed his arms. "Why not?"  
  
Kurt's mouth twisted into a sort of shameful sad grin. "Its like an animal."  
  
Logan's other eyebrow became raised at that last remark. He slowly walked over towards the young mutant and brought his head within an inch of his face. "You aint no animal kid, and if I hear you talk about yourself like that ever again, jokin or not, I'll run you in here so hard, it'll make your mama hurt. You got me bub?"  
  
Kurt slowly backed himself away from the Wolverine and nodded profusely. "Ja Herr Logan."  
  
Logan leaned back into a trait posture and smirked. "So, you ready for your punishment?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good."  
  
/////////////////////////  
  
Kurt stood in the pitch-black room. Even though his mutation allowed some partial ability to see in the darkness, with absolutely no light, it served little purpose. His ragged and torn uniform was covered in gashes and rips. The arms and legs of the suit were in tatters. But all of the impacts and bruises had gone as quickly as they had been made. He was lucky that the new 'healing factor,' or whatever the mutation was, came so quickly, otherwise he was fairly certain that his body would greatly resemble blue pudding by now.  
  
A voice shouted out of the darkness "This is a new sim I've been working on, you like if Elf?"  
  
Kurt rolled his head, allowing his neck to crack. "Well, you haven't beaten me senseless in zhis one yet, so I say zhat is of zhe good."  
  
A low growl came out of the darkness from his left. Kurt spun around into a defensive posture. He could hear Logan make a small 'humph.'  
  
"Good, good. I know your senses are a bit more acute than the norm, but they're still nowhere near my own."  
  
Kurt grinned. "Well, we all can't be as gifted as you are Herr Logan."  
  
An arm snaked out of the darkness and grabbed Kurt's arm by the wrist, another grabbed by the elbow and quickly flung him into the air.  
  
Kurt flipped in mid air and landed on his back two legs in a defensive position. His eyes quickly scanned for any signs of his attacker.  
  
"You aint bad at recovery Elf, but that aint the problem. You need to see the attack before it happens, you can't just always roll with the punches."  
  
Kurt took several steps back into the darkness. "How can I see zhe attack? I can't even see mein own hands."  
  
The disembodied voice floated back to him. "Use your other senses kid, that's what they're there for."  
  
Kurt nodded and closed his eyes. The eerie silence continued with the only exception of his own haggard breathing and heartbeat. He listened as he slowed his breath down and tried to calm himself.  
  
After several seconds a small escaped from his right. Kurt jumped to his front and snaked out his leg to kick his attacker, but only caught air. A large knee struck him in the stomach and caused him to cry out in pain as he hit the floor.  
  
The voice returned from behind him. "Getting better, but you gotta use all your senses. It aint just sight and sound. Whenever you port, all I can smell is Brimstone, it has a very distinct smell, and you can never really get rid of it. The closer I am to you, the stronger it gets..."  
  
Kurt slowly stood up and resumed his stance. "Is zhat supposed to be an insult? Because I expected better zhan an exaggerated 'you stink.'"  
  
Logan's voice echoed off the unseen walls of the Danger Room "...I can taste your sweat in the air all around you..."  
  
A quick breeze and the soft running of feet alerted Kurt to the fact that Logan had just run by him. He spun around and shouted. "Come on Herr Logan!"  
  
"Did you feel the wind across you neck?"  
  
Kurt quickly turned around, trying to pinpoint the voice.  
  
"You just have to pay enough attention and..."  
  
Kurt lunged forward and felt the cool breeze off a body quickly dodging out of the way. A hand shot out and grabbed him by the arm, throwing him several feet away again.  
  
Kurt landed in another defensive stance closer to the ground.  
  
Two claps came from where he had just been and the light jumped back on. Kurt covered his eyes as they strained to adjust. He heard his teacher slowly walk over and gruffly speak.  
  
"Good job Elf, You're getting quicker and not relying on your eyes as much, but you still need to work on your technique."  
  
Kurt absentmindedly rubbed his shoulders now noticing his lack of proper garments. "Danke Herr Logan."  
  
Logan growled. "Don't thank me yet. Tomorrow I expect you back in here bright and early."  
  
Kurt groaned. "How early?"  
  
Logan eyed his student seriously. "_Early_."  
  
Kurt fell back to the floor and groaned. He heard Logan start to walk away. "I'll see you at six sharp or else."  
  
Kurt let his eyes roll into the back of his head as his response automatically formulated. "Ja Herr Logan."  
  
////////////////////////  
  
Kurt sat on his bed eyeing the tiny blue box infront of him. A tiny knock came from the door. "Are you in Kurt?"  
  
Kurt looked around quickly before stashing the box under his pillow. He fixed his hair and quickly smoothed out his clothes. "Ja Herr professor, but you already knew that."  
  
The professor smiled and nodded to Ororo as she closed the door behind him. He turned back to Kurt and motioned for him to sit back down on the bed. "Still, it costs nothing to be polite."  
  
Kurt grinned and sat on the corner of the bed as the professor wheeled next to him. The bald man sighed and clasped his hands together. "As you know there have been many anti-mutant protests and activity in Europe at the moment...I just got off of the phone with a few of my associates in Scotland and Germany and there have been a few cases of...mob attacks."  
  
Kurt unconsciously shivered and brought his knees up to his chest. "Has there been any..."  
  
Xavier hung his head and nodded sadly. "Unfortunately yes. There have been a few confirmed lynchings and...burnings."  
  
Kurt sighed. "Have you talked to mien mozher and fazher?"  
  
The professor nodded. "Yes, they think that it might be a good idea if you were to stay in the states for the time being."  
  
The blue mutant nodded his head and looked at the professor. "Ja...Ja I guess zhat would be for zhe best."  
  
Xavier nodded and gave his student a reassuring smile. "I am sorry Kurt. I know how much you wanted to spend the holidays with your family."  
  
Kurt shrugged his shoulders and helped wheel the bald mutant to the door. "Its okay Professor."  
  
Xavier nodded and knocked back on the door. Ororo opened it back up and smiled serenely at Kurt, who eagerly returned the gesture. Together she and the professor exited his room, leaving Kurt alone.  
  
Kurt sighed. He reached forward and locked the door before slowly walking back towards the center of his room and falling down upon the bed. He looked towards the head of his bed and reached forward with his left hand. He lifted up the pillow on his left, revealing the small blue box. "Maybe I still can."  
  
////////////////////////  
  
[1] Assuming that Tabitha has moved back into the Institute with the rest of the new recruits  
  
[2] Speaking as someone with sisters, I can solidly say that store is on this earth as a conduit for the dark legions of hell to rein torment over all men. 


	7. Headhunter 1

-'Who Wants to Live Forever'-  
  
Pairings: Scott/Jean, one-sided Kurtty but well, you'll see  
  
A/N: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews. Speaking of reviews,  
  
Scrawler: as always, thanks for the ego boost.  
  
TKD: Looking back and re-reading the chapter, I can understand where you're coming from. I was trying to throw Kurt back into his 'normal' routine and have him slowly start to deal with everything. He's not one to usually complain or come right out and tell people what he really feels. I wanted to hint at it and try to be subtle, but as Christine usually says, subtly isn't really my specialty. Sorry if I was a bit off, I think the dialogue between him and Beast will sort of clear it a little up. Also I wanted to speed up the plot because I felt that I was going a little slow. I thought I mentioned that it's about 2-3 weeks after his first death. Still no one is quite sure what the deal is, although Logan does subconsciously. Glad you like the interactions between Rogue and Kurt, I wanted to make sure that it fit. And thanks for the constructive criticism; you only help to make me better.  
  
A/N 2: Roger McCain in this chapter is a very troubled teenager. He committed murder and was praised for killing a mutant his girlfriend. After the truth comes out that Kurt isn't dead, he is shunned for supposedly lying about killing him. So, I have Roger going back and forth between being glad that he didn't kill him, and being angry for not killing him. Also his 'hate for mutants' is more reserved for himself. Let me know if I pulled it off or not  
  
A/N 3: Also the difference between the dialogue of Kurt and Rogue in the last chapter versus Kurt and Beast in this chapter is that last time, Kurt was trying to reassure Rogue that he wasn't going anywhere, that he missed her because of how far she was keeping herself. I think it's in his character to see the distress in others rather than himself. With McCoy, Beast is trying to get Kurt to deal with some of his issues, which Kurt, obviously doesn't want to talk about. I hope all that people can see that. I hope that all comes across.  
  
A/N 4: If you like this story, do yourself, or more likely me, a favor and read and review some of my other stories. Now on to the story!  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Marvel Comics or Highlander.  
  
Dedicated to everyone that has ideas but doesn't think they're good enough  
  
////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Roger sighed and nervously looked over his shoulder as he continued to walk down the street. He had gotten several new paranoid tendencies in the past few weeks.  
  
Killing someone might do that to a man.  
  
And yet there was no one after him. There was a blip on the eleven o clock news two weeks ago, but nothing since. There weren't a lot of people out there that wanted to hear about a freak dying to protect his mutie-loving girlfriend.  
  
But still, their faces continued to haunt him. The young black girl's eyes staring openly into space as the blood dribbled out of her mouth. The blue demon's screams and fiery yellow eyes as they fought for the gun. After a while he convinced himself it wasn't real.  
  
But still, every time he closed his eyes...  
  
He shook his head to clear the demons, real or imagined, from his mind. He heard that the girl's parents moved away. He couldn't blame them. Who would want to stick around in the same place where you daughter died? Live in the same house where you ate dinner. Sit on the same couch where you watched TV.  
  
He couldn't even stand to look at himself in the mirror anymore. His friends, his posse, were all hyped about it. Some of them went over to the city's FoH [2] chapter and signed them all up. A vice-admiral or whatever they hell they called themselves stopped by his house and told his mom and dad how lucky they were to have such a good, moral responsible son.  
  
He even was in one of their newsletters, a picture of ol' Roger McCain [1] standing proud infront of the American flag with a FoH t-shirt on, arms crossed, chest puffed out, looking proud and fierce. He got questioned about it a lot. He didn't realize how many people really were against the mutants. It was funny, there were more people upset about him not being a radical anti-mutant activist than there were people upset that he killed two people.  
  
Actually one person.  
  
Apparently one of the FoH members saw the mutie freak with his other mutie friends at the mall two days ago. He guessed that the demon lived despite being shot.  
  
Five times.  
  
In the back.  
  
From two yards away.  
  
His friends accused him of lying. Of only killing the mutie-lover but being too scared to cap the freak himself. He was surprised by how offended he got. The guilt was killing him inside, but when confronted he yelled and screamed about how he killed the mutie.  
  
He told them how easy it was to pull the trigger and how good it felt to see the unholy abomination fall to his knees. He told them how beautiful it was to see the blood pour out of his wounds and how right it felt to be doing god's work.  
  
They didn't believe him. They called him a coward and a liar. He was a mutie-lover for not going all the way.  
  
The FoH said that the mutie himself killed his girlfriend after kidnapping her and raping her against her will. They printed a retraction in their national newsletter. They changed her story from being a 'mutie-loving whore' to just a 'poor innocent girl being manipulated by those disgusting freaks of nature.' Roger went from 'a hero striving to defend humanity' to a 'lying little kid wanting attention.'  
  
It burned him up inside thinking that the creature lived. The guilt that had been consuming his soul had stretched out and only fed his anger. He was angry at the freak for living, for making him a liar. He was angry at the girl for dying, for making him a killer. He hated his friends, for making him a traitor. He was angry at the FoH for making him a false hero. And he was angry at himself.  
  
For wanting to kill another mutie to make him a hero again.  
  
As he walked up to the counter, he took a deep breath and reminded himself that there was no going back. The bus station clerk looked down at him and nasally breathed out. "Can I help you son?"  
  
Roger nodded and put his backpack on the floor next to him as he fished for his wallet. "Yeah, how much for a one-way to New York City?"  
  
The attendant raised an eyebrow before punching up the order. "Fifty three- thirty. We got a greyhound leaving in two, two and a quarter hours." [3]  
  
Roger found his wallet and put three twenty dollar bills on the counter. The clerk sighed uncomfortably before making the transaction. He turned back to Roger and handed him the ticket and change. "And six-seventy is your change. You can turn back in your ticket for a full refund if you change your mind, kid."  
  
Like staying would do him any good. "Thanks."  
  
Roger turned away quickly and sat down at one of the sparsely populated benches. There were about thirty or so people here, waiting for different busses to come and go. According to the FoH about one in forty people could have the X-gene. And since Bayville had become 'mutie central' for some odd reason, he bet that there were probably one or two right there with him in the bus terminal.  
  
He rested his backpack against his legs and leaned back into the polished wood. He had about another two hours to kill and...  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
Roger turned to see a fairly tall redheaded man dressed in gray business suit with a black trench coat. He was slightly startled and jumped a little.  
  
The man smiled and held up his hands in a defensive manner. "I'm sorry if I startled you, but I was wondering..." He reached into his trench coat pocket and fumbled around, causing Roger to lean back a little more in fear. "Uh, listen, I..."  
  
The man pulled out a newspaper article and handed it to the young teenager. "That's you isn't it?"  
  
Roger looked down at the piece of paper. There was a small picture of an angry looking sixteen year old pouting infront of the FoH banner above a few tiny italicized lines of print. The banner of the article read "Sixteen year old Roger McCain, former FoH hero, lied about murder of teenage mutant."  
  
Roger felt his face burn up as the anger coursed throughout his system. He looked up at the smiling man and growled. "Who the hell are you?"  
  
The tall redhead grinned and offered his hand. "Hi, I'm Arthur Daniels with the Associated Press. I wanted to talk to you about..."  
  
Roger groaned as he grabbed his backpack and stood up. The only thing worse than a mutie was a reporter. He offered two words of advice to the news hound before walking away. "Fuck off."  
  
Daniels smirked and walked alongside him. "I was wondering if you would go over some details about what happened that night."  
  
Roger quickened his pace and looked at his watch. "Listen buddy, I don't give a shit what you were wondering, I need to catch a bus."  
  
The reporter grinned. "You bus doesn't leave for another two hours."  
  
Roger slowed down and eyed the redheaded man carefully. "How the fuck do you know that?"  
  
Daniels sighed and reached into his trench coat, pulling out six crisp fifty-dollar bills. "With the right amount of money, you can know anything. The teller thought you were a runaway, I showed him the picture and told him I wanted to bring you home."  
  
Roger took a step back. "To hell with you buddy. I aint going home."  
  
Daniels smiled and played with one of the fifty-dollar bills before extending his hand and showing them to the young man. "I didn't say you have to, all I want is to talk."  
  
////////////////////////////////////  
  
Henry McCoy sat in front of the blank computer screen looking mildly intrigued and mostly annoyed. He put his glasses on and looked back over at the student in the examination chair. "Okay then Mister Wagner, let us try again."  
  
Kurt sighed and held out his left arm again. School was to start back up in two more weeks and all of the students needed to take a school mandated physical. And since the school nurse wasn't going to perform any physicals on the 'filthy mutants' the school board left it up to their families to provide proof of examination or be expelled. The students at the Xavier institute were lucky because McCoy was certified during his tenure as the Bayville High's school coach.  
  
McCoy leaned over with yet another needle and tried to take a blood sample. Kurt hissed in pain as the long thin metal pierced his skin. McCoy smiled as the small test tube began filling with a thick red liquid. After a second the elder mutant pulled out the needle and placed a cotton ball on the inside of Kurt's arm. "Remember to place pressure..."  
  
Kurt gave him a small grin. "Herr McCoy?"  
  
The teacher looked over at his student. "Yes?"  
  
The young mutant lifted up the cotton ball and looked down as tiny streaks of lightening quickly san across the small puncture, closing it up. "I don't zhink I need zhe cotton balls anymore."  
  
The mutant known as 'Beast' stopped his glasses from falling off his nose and raised both of his eyebrows. "Yes, I believe so."  
  
McCoy sighed and tried to think of a polite way to start the conversation that he had been dreading. "Are there any more...um...unexpected..."  
  
Kurt stifled his grin as he watched his professor stumble for words.  
  
"A...uh... any more...things that I should know about?"  
  
"You mean like the weird lightening zhing?"  
  
McCoy shrugged and nodded.  
  
Kurt shook his head. "No, its still zhat and zhe weird feeling when I get around Herr Logan."  
  
McCoy grinned. "I take it Logan has restarted your training regimen."  
  
Kurt groaned. "Ja. If it wasn't for zhis..." his hand wavered around where he puncture wound had healed. "I suspect zhat you would be seeing a lot of me."  
  
McCoy nodded. "Well, that's actually something I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to ask you if I could run some more tests..."  
  
Kurt sighed. "Please, Herr McCoy, I have had enough of zhe probing and prodding. No offense, but I didn't not come down here to spend two hours taking my heartbeat while wearing a metal bowl on my head."  
  
McCoy feigned hurt. "I am sorry for the inconvenience Mister Wagner, I was only merely interested in your health."  
  
Kurt rolled his eyes. "I am still not submitting to any of your tests."  
  
McCoy grinned sheepishly and reached for his stethoscope. He turned back and indicated for Kurt to take off his shirt. "I need for you to take a couple of deep breaths for me."  
  
Kurt furrowed his eyebrows. "Is all of zhis really necessary for a school physical?"  
  
"You don't see any metal bowls do you?"  
  
Kurt rolled his eyes at the instructor's large grin. "I just thought that I'd give you an once-over while you're down here."  
  
McCoy placed the cold metal end of the stethoscope on the left side of the teenage mutant's chest. "Take a deep breath."  
  
Kurt took a deep breath and held it. McCoy listened intently as he spoke. "You know, I don't always run tests involving metal bowls on every student that comes in... Exhale."  
  
Kurt released his breath as McCoy moved the stethoscope onto Kurt's left side. "Deep breath."  
  
Kurt inhaled deeply as McCoy continued talking. "Some students just come and talk to me if they're feeling lonely or have some problems...Exhale."  
  
The teacher took off his stethoscope and wrote down a few comments of a nearby sheet of paper. Kurt lowered his gaze at the elder mutant. "Has Herr Logan been giving you lessons in subtlety?"  
  
McCoy ignored the attempt to derail him. "I'm serious Kurt. If you want to talk about..."  
  
Kurt abruptly cut him off. "No."  
  
McCoy sat back in his chair and raised an eyebrow. "Now Kurt, surely..."  
  
Kurt glared fiercely into the elder mutant's eyes. "I do not want to talk about it."  
  
The elder mutant sighed and took his glasses off his face to clean them. "Kurt, I understand, but bottling up everything is no way to deal with things."  
  
Kurt's glare did not waver as McCoy sat down in his office chair a few feet across from him. "Herr McCoy, I just... Rogue is wary of me; everyone is treating me like I am made of glass. And I just want to be left to myself to try to..."  
  
McCoy nodded and grabbed a thermometer. He looked back into Kurt's pale yellow eyes and finished his sentence. "To deal."  
  
Kurt meekly nodded and looked down at the floor. The large blue instructor leaned over and strapped a hear-rate monitor around Kurt's left arm. "Let's take a look at your heart rate, shall we?"  
  
////////////////////////////////////  
  
"...And this blue demon can disguise himself as a normal person?"  
  
Roger snorted as he took another bite of his Big Mac. "Yeah, it's a real..." The young man paused as he had some difficulty speaking with his mouth full. "It's a real shame just to think about it."  
  
Daniels nodded as he continued to take notes on his electronic note pad. The isolated bench that they had come to sit on rested at the far side of the bus station, away from any other people that could overhear their conversation. "And you're positive that you shot it?"  
  
The overzealous teenager put his burger down and nodded. "Yeah, I was as close to that thing as you are to me. Shot it five times in the back before it went down, and trust me it STAYED down. Blood everywhere and you know how it is."  
  
The reporter chuckled. "Yeah, I know. But anyway, your friends say that they saw it again later?"  
  
Roger nodded and took a sip of his coke. "Yeah, at the mall."  
  
"The, what did you call it, fake version?"  
  
Roger shrugged. "I guess so."  
  
Daniels nodded and looked up at the teen. "How do you know it was really him and not some other imposter?"  
  
Roger became a little defensive. "I don't know. Who else would want to dress up like a known mutie?"  
  
Daniels sighed and cocked his head to the side. "And then there was the disappearing..."  
  
The boy nodded and took another bit of his burger. "Yah, he just reappeared in different places and there was this weird ass smell."  
  
As he took reached for his fries, Roger tried to look over at the e-pad on which Daniels was writing. The reporter closed his electronic notepad and looked sternly into the young man's eyes. "Now if I go ahead with this, I need to make sure that you know what you did and saw. Are you _SURE_ that he was dead?"  
  
Roger looked up, with his mouth still partially full with fries. "Yeah."  
  
The older man nodded and placed his e-pad back into his suit pocket. "Good."  
  
With a fluid motion, Roger felt his breath stop and something warm spread halfway down his neck.  
  
"You know Mister McCain, that once you slit someone's throat, they cannot scream?"  
  
The boy grasped at his neck, silently screaming as the blood squirted out. The redheaded man shook his head. "I guess not, but still. Its very useful information to know."  
  
Roger felt the tears stream down his face as he looked into the cold blue eyes of his killer. The man smirked and knelt down infront the young boy, meeting his gaze. "Well, I guess that it's not going to do you much good now. But don't worry, as far as your parents will be concerned, you got on that bus to New York, and hell, just drifted off the face of the earth. So they won't kick up any dust for you after you're gone. After all, who wants a lying traitorous son?"  
  
Seeing Roger's eyes start to glaze over, the man nodded his head and continued talking. "Anyway, thanks for the information Roger, you made my life just a little bit easier... If it's any consolation to you."  
  
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Henry McCoy sighed and took off his latex gloves. "You can go Kurt, we're all done here."  
  
The teenager grabbed his t-shirt and put it back on. "Danke Herr McCoy."  
  
As he slowly got out of the examination chair, McCoy placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know that you want to be left alone. But if you ever need to talk about anything else, anything at all Kurt, you know you can come to me. Anything we say would be held in confidence."  
  
Kurt looked at him quizzically.  
  
McCoy playfully grinned and walked him to the door. "It means I won't tell anyone."  
  
The younger blue mutant gave him a tiny, sad smile and nodded before walking out. "Danke."  
  
Alone in his office, Henry McCoy sat down in his chair and put his head into his large blue hands.  
  
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
At the Bayville Bus Station, a redheaded man backed up his car and threw a large plastic bag in the trunk. He sighed and looked off into space. "An immortal mutant... how... quaint."  
  
////////////////////////////////////  
  
[1] Random name, I don't know anyone with it.  
  
[2] FoH = Friends of Humanity, an anti-mutant organization.  
  
[3] Random price. 


	8. Headhunter 2

-'Who Wants to Live Forever'-  
  
A/N: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews. Speaking of reviews,  
  
TKD: I'm glad I made everything clearer. Seriously though, anytime you think anything is a little off, be sure to review and tell me. It's great stuff. I'm happy that I got McCain right; it took me forever to get it how I wanted. And its not a canon evil immortal, sorry :(  
  
The Incredible Bouncing Ferret or...something: I'm scared...oh so very scared. :P Thanks for the review  
  
A/N 2: I finally put the evil Immortal in, about damn time. And don't worry about the tension between Beast and Logan; they both have the best intentions at heart. And with the Deputy, remember that a dead cop is very hard to cover up. I tried my best with the sword fighting, but I'm not very sure about it. Took me long enough. Sorry for the wait people, but it might be even more of a wait for the next part, I'm working two jobs and trying to pay for my wedding/honeymoon etc. not to mention all the little ideas running rampant around in my tiny little brain are driving me crazy.  
  
Granted it's a short drive, quite leisurely, but still.  
  
A/N 3: Because of ff.net's new software/changes, I'm gonna change a few things, and instead of the backslash, I'm having to use the horizontal breaks. And also " " = Speech ' ' = Thought :: ::= Speakers, radio, TV, etc... Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Marvel Comics or Highlander. Highlander universe season 5, "Comes a Horseman."  
  
Dedicated to everyone that has ideas but doesn't think they're good enough  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Deputy Henry Eggertson sighed as he saw a car parked infront of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children. "Goddammit, not another one."  
  
Since the school's 'outing' a few months ago, the Sheriff's department had the thirty two year old make passes by the large estate during his patrol. Every couple of days or so, there'd be some anti-mutant graffiti, a protest, or a few of the local Friends of Humanity chapter putting on something, which Henry didn't really think too much of as long as they kept it quiet.  
  
But there had been a few wackos that wanted to scale the wall with rifles and a homemade bomb. Especially after what happened with that Sefton girl a few weeks ago. Deputy Eggertson sighed as be he flipped the patrol car's lights on and pulled over behind the dark gray Lexus. He quickly radioed in. "Jake this is Henry. I got a eleven-fifty four, suspicious vehicle, at the Xavier institute, respond."  
  
::Roger Henry, we've been having threats recently. Be advised it maybe another armed FoH nut job.::  
  
Henry smirked. "Copy, I'll radio back in 5."  
  
The person in the driver's side was Caucasian, Henry guessed about thirty, thirty-two years old, about two hundred-ten pounds, red hair, blue eyes. The trench coat was probably not a good sign. He walked over to the driver side window and rapped his baton on the glass.  
  
The man rolled down the window and smiled. "How may I help you officer?"  
  
Henry sighed and nodded to the glove compartment. "You mind showing me your license and registration please?"  
  
The redheaded man smiled and handed the deputy his drivers' license before leaning over and rifling through the papers in the glove compartment. Henry leaned with one hand on the car and spoke. "Well Mister... Daniels, may I why you came all the way from... Toronto... to park here by yourself, at five o-clock in the morning?"  
  
The man discovered to be Arthur Daniels handed the policeman his car registration and sighed. "Well, you see, I'm with the Associated Press and- "  
  
Deputy Eggertson held up one hand and interrupted the so-called 'reporter'. "Listen, 'Daniels' I have a lot of freaks and psychos that come out of the woodwork claiming to be the press or whatever that just want to make some trouble with the muties. I don't care if you're a mutie, human, or a goddamn space alien as long as I don't get any trouble."  
  
The redheaded man pursed his lips and leaned back into the chair. "Now an alien, that would make for some good news, but I was merely-"  
  
Henry sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sir, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."  
  
The man known as Arthur Daniels took one look back at the police cruiser, the blue and red lights whirring brightly. He turned back to face the deputy and nodded. "Is there a hotel nearby that I can stay at?"  
  
Deputy Eggertson nodded and motioned down the road. "Take a left at the next intersection and about six miles down the road there's a La Quinta." [1]  
  
As Daniels started the car, Henry leaned in to ask one last question. "Can I ask how long you're planning to stay in Bayville Mr. Daniels."  
  
The redheaded man smiled evilly. "Oh don't worry..." the man squinted to read the deputy's uniform. "Deputy Eggertson, I'm sure you'll be seeing more of me."  
  
Henry crossed his arms over his chest. "Is that a threat Mr. Daniels?"  
  
The man merely rolled up the window before driving off.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Kurt stood alone in the Danger Room and checked his holowatch, which he very recently found out could also tell the time. The wonders of modern technology: holograms and teenagers that can show up early. Slowly the felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise and the low current race along his spine. He turned and faced his instructor as the elder mutant walked into the room and set down a black duffel bag infront of him. He growled, "Well kid, I'm glad you decided to show up early for once."  
  
Kurt grinned and rolled his eyes. "Herr Logan, I-"  
  
"Catch."  
  
Kurt's arm automatically shot out and grabbed the hilt of a long European style Rapier. He stared at the blade in shock for several seconds before stammering out a response. "Where did-"  
  
Logan held onto the bag and started lecturing. "You've had more training with it, you're comfortable. That's good. The Rapier's deceptive speed combined with its excellent reach can be a great ally. Especially when the fencer behind it is about as fast and hyper as the Energizer Bunny on crack. It compliments your speed and suits your personality, fast and frenetic."  
  
Kurt grinned as his ego was inflated. "Herr Logan, you do not need to lecture me about zhe Rapier. I have been training with it since I was a child. "  
  
Logan dropped the duffel bag and pulled out a long curved Katana in its sheath. He quickly unsheathed the Easter style blade and deadpanned. "Well Elf, if I'm boring ya."  
  
The young mutant's face paled as he realized he had in effect challenged the Wolverine to a duel.  
  
"Eeep."  
  
In the blink of an eye Kurt found himself, dodging the gleaming blade of the sword and went on the defensive. He quickly brought up the Rapier and used it to deflect the massive power behind Logan's attacks. "Don't you zhink we should do some exercises first?"  
  
"This is the exercise." Logan cut the young mutants tirade off with an upward slash and elbowed him in the face. The long curved blade of the Katana screamed by Kurt's face as he leaned back to dodge another strike.  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
"Hey, Rogue."  
  
The southern Goth groaned and rolled over in her bed, facing away from the brunette girl. "Kitty, I swear to almighty Gawd. If you don't let me get some more sleep, I'll dye your clothes black and take away your Britney CDs, now let me sleep."  
  
Kitty grinned as she plopped down onto the bed, next to Marie, who promptly muttered something about the death of many stuffed animals. "Rogue, like what's your plans for Christmas? It's in three days."  
  
There was a mumbled reply about Christmas being a sham proliferated by greedy corporations and merchandising companies.  
  
The younger girl fell back on the bed and smiled wistfully. "I wonder what Lance'll get me?"  
  
There was no response from the lump on the bed beside her.  
  
"He knows that I want some jewelry, I mean, like who doesn't want jewelry. Can't really go wrong with that. Maybe a necklace, earrings, oh, he could show up in a tuxedo at the front gate looking all nice and handsome. He'll show up the first day of Hanukkah with a dozen flowers in one hand and invite me down to the limo he rented. He could take me out on a nice date with champagne and flowers and he could get the guy with the violin to come over and play for us..."  
  
Rogue growled and slowly crawled out from underneath her covers. "Ugggh. Alright I'm up, I'm up whaddaya want?"  
  
Kitty grinned widely. "Weeellll, nothing really, I just wanted to make sure that you got your holiday shopping done."  
  
Rogue groaned as she walked over to the dresser and shuffled through some clothes before settling on a dark green shirt black gloves pants and a see- through mesh. "Weren't you complaining about how Christmas was overshadowing Hanukkah and that any holiday that requires the ritual slaughter of millions of trees..."  
  
Kitty ran over and started pushing Rogue into the bathroom. "Well, you see I decided that its not the type of religion you are, it's the spirit of the season, now go take a shower, you've got pillow hair."  
  
Rogue glared at the young girl before grabbing a change of clothes and a towel. As an after thought she turned to the younger mutant. "If you follow me in there, I aint gonna be accountable for my actions."  
  
Kitty sighed as the door slammed shut in her face. "Hurry it up. I was able to steal Jean's SUV for the day and I don't want it to go to waste."  
  
Rogue opened the door and poked her head out. "How in the hell did you manage that?"  
  
Kitty smirked evilly. "Oh, I was able to distract her with something..."  
  
------------------------  
  
Jean smiled as the glare of the large screen TV illuminated the otherwise dark room. Onscreen, the spirited William Turner confronted the swashbuckling Captain Jack Sparrow. [2]  
  
::Where's Elizabeth?::  
  
::She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. So we're all men of our word really... except for Elizabeth, who is in fact, a woman.::  
  
-------------------------  
  
Kurt barely had time to dodge the Katana's razor sharp edge as his instructor sliced the air inches from his nose.  
  
The young mutant flipped back onto his back legs narrowly missing the pointed tip of the large blade and took off running with his instructor in fast pursuit.  
  
The danger room had been set to idle for their training. No lasers, no flamethrowers, no assorted death machines. The stark white room lay flat and unresponsive. The two combatants were prohibited from using powers. The goal of the session was simple...  
  
Kurt dodged a downward swipe and went on the offensive.  
  
...fight.  
  
His instructor assumed a traditional eastern fighting stance. He rested most of his weight towards the rear leg and held the blade next to his chest, the edge parallel to the ceiling. The two mutants attacked each other simultaneously. Kurt saw an opening to his left and trust the point of his Rapier. Logan spun out of the way, using the torque of his movements to slice diagonally upwards deflecting the Rapier. "With long swords, like the Katana, it makes your opponent reach in further to attack you."  
  
Kurt dodged as his instructor's counter nearly took one of his arms off. "Ja, I am seeing zhat."  
  
The two opponents stopped their attacks and backed off. Kurt opted for a more familiar fencing stance and stood with his two legs far apart, his left hand curved up in a 'C,' holding the blade outward with his dominant arm.  
  
Logan's face was impassive as he held the long smooth katana out in front of him with both hands. The cold silver sheen of the metal reflected the bright lights of the Danger room.  
  
Kurt grinned and ran towards his opponent. The young blue mutant flipped into the air and used the point of the Rapier to parry away the sleek blade of the Katana and kicked Logan square in the ribs, using the backwards thrust to move away. Logan grunted and slashed down, barely missing the young student's left side.  
  
-------------------------  
  
"Do you think he is going a little hard on the boy?"  
  
Xavier smiled and nodded as Hank McCoy walked up behind him and watched the display from the control room of the Danger room. "I suppose. I was never the one to impose the... physical aspect of training. Logan is more than adequate in that respect."  
  
McCoy nodded and leaned against the wall, keeping his gaze down upon the Danger room. "Kurt told me earlier that he has had extensive training with swords."  
  
"Yes, it was one of his acts in the..."  
  
"Munich Circus I know, the mere mention of the word 'circus' infront of the boy causes him to talk faster that I believed humanly possible."  
  
Xavier smiled. "You've been talking to Kurt?"  
  
McCoy nodded and turned back to watch Logan and Kurt fence. "A few times, mainly during his weekly checkups."  
  
Xavier pursed his lips and nodded. "What did you two talk about?"  
  
The blue furred mutant grinned and shook his head. "I am afraid I can't tell you that."  
  
Xavier turned to face the other mutant. "Doctor-patient confidentiality?"  
  
"No, just secrets between the blue and furry. Mainly grooming tips."  
  
-------------------------  
  
In a flurry of motion the two mutants continued to fence.  
  
"The worst thing the Rapier fighter can do is to allow his weapon to be bound up with the point off to the side."  
  
Kurt swiped the Katana to his left and thrust the Rapier towards Logan's shoulder.  
  
Logan parried the thrusting attack and stepped up into Kurt and carefully placed the flat side of the Katana against Kurt's chest. "Once you're past a Rapier's point, the weapon is almost impotent. He also must avoid fighting close-in where the Katana's force and slicing ability will instantly dominate."  
  
The young mutant pushed off his instructor and growled in frustration. "Zhen what do you want me to do?"  
  
Logan held up his hand and interrupted the young mutant. "Fight!, a weapon is only as good as the person behind it."  
  
Kurt put his arms on his knees as he tried to regain some of his breath. "I did not know zhat my inferiority was troubling you Herr Logan."  
  
The elder mutant growled and held the long blade behind his back with one arm. "Kid, this aint the time for jokes. Part of the learning process is knowing that there are people better than you and that you might have to change your tactics. Me, I've had years of training. With almost any sword you can think of. Like I said, the weapon is only as good as the person behind it. For my style of attack, the Katana is more...suitable. For you, it's the Rapier, but you gotta learn to change. Change is hard, but it beats everything else."  
  
------------------------------  
  
McCoy grinned. "Why I do believe that our dear Mister Logan is being a bit of a show off."  
  
Charles Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Where did you reach that conclusion?"  
  
The blue mutant deadpanned. "He isn't using his claws."  
  
Xavier chuckled. "Well, he doesn't want to dismember the young boy. Besides a nice little fencing exercise might help Mister Wagner get back into practice."  
  
McCoy turned back to the fight and mumbled under his breath. "The cheesy one liners are a bit much though."  
  
------------------  
  
Logan hissed in pain as he felt the tip of his student's Rapier slice through his shoulder. He looked up and growled in anger as the blue furred mutant suddenly realized the magnitude of his error.  
  
"Oh Scheiße."  
  
- Oh Shit -  
  
--------------------------  
  
Xavier grinned. "Yes, well, I believe that Mister Wagner is now putting on a good show as well."  
  
The large blue mutant took out his glasses and put them on. "Oh is he? I believe I see him running away from Logan while screaming."  
  
Xavier nodded and rolled his wheelchair over to the command display. "Yes, perhaps I get ready to call off this training exercise just in case."  
  
Beast sighed and cleaned his glasses. "Yes, we don't want Kurt to get injured. It might be prudent just incase Logan were to loose control and..."  
  
Xavier shook his head. "Logan would never consciously hurt a student."  
  
"Its not the 'conscious' part I'm worried about."  
  
Xavier hesitated and turned to face McCoy. "I have known Logan for many years now, long after he lost his memory. I have gone into his mind countless times to try and resuscitate the dead embers of those memories. Even without being inside his mind, Logan and I have been friends for many, many years; so don't take what I am saying as an insult to him. It is nothing of the sort."  
  
McCoy sternly turned to face the professor. "What do you mean then?"  
  
Xavier shook his head as he watched Logan's Katana reflect the light off like a perfect mirror. "I trust him completely with the safety of the students and the safety of this facility. He is here to teach the students how to survive. He is teaching Kurt how to fight and that is what he is there for. I can think of no one better suited or equipped to take on the mission laid out for him."  
  
McCoy nodded, watching Xaviers face as the professor's eyes refused to leave the fight.  
  
"But I also heard about what happened when I went missing. Logan has his faults. He does not like others telling him what to do. He has trouble understanding other people. He pushes them away slightly, even though some like Kitty and Rogue have gotten under his skin. And now that he has someone that might be able to see him on equal footing, he could confront some of those issues. He would never say it, but he prides himself on being the last man standing from a fight."  
  
Xavier sighed and leaned forward, bringing up several commands on the monitor. "All that being said, he cares more deeply for the students than you or he believes. And it would do Logan a deal of good to realize that."  
  
McCoy nodded and looked back out at the fight. "And Kurt?"  
  
The meaning was not lost on the professor. Xavier sighed. "Kurt needs someone that he feels he can connect to. It doesn't have to be just one person. We should all get as close as we can to the students, Logan included. Its important that we do so."  
  
The Beast sighed and turned back to the professor. "And what if something happens?"  
  
The professor's face was unreadable as he worked on the terminal. "Then it is even more important."  
  
Xavier finished bringing up the correct 'end simulation' prompt and hesitated. He looked back out to the Danger room to see the Kurt and Logan racing across the floor in a blur of steel, blue fur and skin. "I think I would like to watch the end of this fight." He turned and faced McCoy.  
  
The blue furred instructor sighed and turned back to face the glass screening. "It is a great thing when the student passes the teacher. It would be good to see that."  
  
Xavier nodded and turned back to the fight. They both watched in silence for several seconds until they saw Kurt get tripped and fall flat on his rear end.  
  
"Well, I don't think that we have to worry about that happening in the meantime."  
  
McCoy sighed. "No, I don't believe that we will."  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Logan grinned as he heard the blood pounding through his veins. The elf mirrored his smile and continued to attack. Their movements increased in tempo and frequency. As one attacked, the other defended. When one defended, the other attacked. Their fencing became more intense and frenetic. Kurt flipped overhead and swiped the long Rapier down hard against the Katana, creating a spark of electricity.  
  
The blade flew back and forth against each other, neither yielding in power or speed. Logan's movements became more animalistic and fluid. With a feral grace Kurt had never seen before, Logan exploded into a frenzy of slashes and strikes all aimed at the young mutant's torso and neck.  
  
Kurt's heart beat like a steel drum as his instructor lunged at him with a scream. He brought the Rapier up to block the initial strike and was rewarded with a steel fist to the chest. The Wolverine bared his teeth and swiped the long blade horizontally, knocking Kurt's Rapier away. He kicked the youth's back, forcing Kurt to fall to his hands and knees.  
  
---------------------  
  
Charles Xavier felt his heart stop as he watched the elder mutant drop the student to his knees and laugh.  
  
---------------------------  
  
The Wolverine whispered an old apology as he forced the blade down. "There can be only one..."  
  
---------------------  
  
Xavier frantically pounded on the keyboard, turning off the simulation. He grabbed the microphone and began shouting into it.  
  
--------------------  
  
::LOGAN! STOP!::  
  
Kurt looked up sheepishly as his instructor's sword hovered mere inches above the base of his skull. Logan breathed hoarsely as he willed the strong blade in place, neither moving it up nor down. His hands tensed and coarsely strangled the handle of the blade as a small tempered voice reached his ears.  
  
"Herr Logan..."  
  
---------------------  
  
In the control booth, Beast charged out the door, while Xavier decided to take matters into his own hands. He placed his fingers on his temples and quickly concentrated on the elder mutant below him.  
  
---------------------  
  
'Logan...'  
  
The Wolverine growled as his Katana fought gravity and his strength to say in midair having a will of its own. His senses reveled in the memories associated. A small village in the desert coated red with blood. The horsemen rode on. A long curved scimitar fell against the night sky. The cloudless night sky erupted into lightning.  
  
Kurt dared not move as he stared back into his teacher's emotionless eyes. "Herr Logan..."  
  
The images flashed through the elder mutant's mind relaying back to the telepath. Headless bodies fell to the ground as the sky exploded in energy.  
  
'LOGAN STOP THIS NOW!'  
  
Logan's eyes widened as he took a step back. With a shake of his head, whatever demons had been haunting him floated away from his sight. He looked down at his hands, shaking and covered in sweat.  
  
"Herr Logan, are you okay?"  
  
The grizzled mutant looked up into the face of the blue teenager staring at him with concern and worry. The student took a tentative step forward and held out his open hand.  
  
"Herr Log-"  
  
"Its okay kid."  
  
Kurt watched as his instructor sheathed his sword and exited the Danger room. "You're lowerin' your guard on the left. Next week we're starting Katana training, no excuses. I expect you to be ready by then."  
  
The teenage mutant let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding and walked over to where his swords lay. He picked up the long Western European style blade before grabbing a towel and walking to the showers.  
  
------------------------  
  
[1] I don't own La Quinta, although I have stayed there, its pretty nice.  
  
[2] Pirates of the Caribbean rocks, its really good. I own the DVD but nothing else. 


End file.
